{"id":2480093,"date":"2025-08-28T18:07:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-senator-blasts-rfk-jr-about-mass-shootings-stop-peddling-bull\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T18:08:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:08:37","slug":"minnesota-senator-blasts-rfk-jr-about-mass-shootings-stop-peddling-bull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-senator-blasts-rfk-jr-about-mass-shootings-stop-peddling-bull\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota senator blasts RFK Jr. about mass shootings: &#8216;Stop peddling bull****&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-senator-blasts-rfk-jr-about-mass-shootings-stop-peddling-bull%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2480093&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports on Minnesota Senator Tina Smith&#8217;s strong criticism of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his comments linking psychiatric drugs, specifically SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), to recent mass shootings, including the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.Kennedy suggested that these medications, often prescribed for depression and anxiety, could contribute to violent behavior and are under investigation by health agencies. Smith condemned Kennedy&#8217;s remarks as insensitive and misleading, emphasizing that easy access to firearms is a more direct cause of mass shootings. The article also notes that medical experts largely dispute Kennedy&#8217;s claims,stating there is no evidence connecting psychiatric medication to such violence. Additionally, it highlights that the gunman in the Minneapolis shooting was undergoing a gender transition, a point that some conservatives have focused on, although research shows very few mass shootings are committed by transgender individuals.The piece situates the controversy within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-mexico-governor-responds-after-federal-court-puts-her-30-day-gun-carry-ban-on-hold\/\" title=\"NM Governor responds to court&#039;s hold on 30-day gun carry ban.\">broader national debate<\/a> on gun violence and mental health. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Minnesota senator blasts RFK Jr. about mass shootings: &lsquo;Stop peddling bull****&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2214835\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tina-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tina Smith<\/a> (D-MN) slammed Health and Human Services Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/robert-f-kennedy-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> on Thursday, telling him to &ldquo;shut up&rdquo; for suggesting that psychiatric drugs taken by children could be connected to school shootings, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3784136\/shooting-minneapolis-annunciation-church-catholic-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shooting in Minneapolis<\/a> on Wednesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A gunman opened fire at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3784961\/what-to-know-minneapolis-annunciation-catholic-church-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Annunciation Catholic School<\/a>, killing two children and injuring 17 other people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3786253\/most-people-think-crime-us-major-problem\/\">Most people think crime in US is &#8216;major&#8217; problem<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3786446\/trump-adds-beverly-hills-list-crime-ridden-cities\/\">Trump adds Beverly Hills to list of crime-ridden cities, baffling locals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3786367\/multiple-colleges-experience-shooting-hoaxes\/\">Multiple colleges experience shooting hoaxes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don&rsquo;t kill kids, antidepressants do,&rdquo; Smith said<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenTinaSmith\/status\/1961061772221149678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> on X<\/a>. &ldquo;Just shut up. Stop peddling bull****. You should be fired.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There are 400 million guns in this country. More guns than people.<\/p>\n<p>In America, we are ten times more likely to be shot in a school or playground than any other developed nation.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenTinaSmith\/status\/1961061774767075744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>RFK Jr. appeared on <em>Fox &amp; Friends<\/em> on Thursday, where he <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >suggested serotonin reuptake inhibitors<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4cCnf8mIg5A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">could be to blame for school shootings<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/3762204\/bishop-barron-praises-trump-desire-heaven\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Fox &amp; Friends<\/em><\/a>  cohost Brian Kilmeade asked Kennedy if his agency is examining possible connections between mass shootings and &ldquo;drugs that are used in order to make that [gender] transition&rdquo; happen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Robin Westman, the 23-year-old gunman in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3785635\/thoughts-prayers-minneapolis-annunciation-catholic-church-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Minnesota shooting<\/a>, was born male and at 17 years old, applied for a name change to reflect a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-teachers-told-to-hide-students-gender-identity-from-parents\/\" title=\"Wisconsin Teachers Told To Hide Students\u2019 Gender Identity From Parents\">gender identity transition<\/a> to female.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At [the National Institutes of Health], we&rsquo;re launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence,&rdquo; Kennedy said. &ldquo;Many of [the drugs] have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/institutional-corruption-big-pharma-money-permeating-global-drug-regulators\/\" title=\"\u201cInstitutional Corruption\u201d: Big Pharma Money Permeating Global Drug Regulators\">black box warnings<\/a> that warn of suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation, so we can&rsquo;t exclude those as a culprit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 640px; max-height: 360px; min-width: 320px; min-height: 180px; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/share.grabien.com\/share?id=3100734&amp;userid=11311&amp;loginid=9421&amp;playercolor=%23000000&amp;playersize=auto&amp;code=f49af38750b915a62f529b31d635d629\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0px;\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3777057\/rfk-jr-make-america-healthy-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>IN FOCUS FORUM: IS RFK JR. MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kennedy has long been a critic of SSRIs and pushed a similar theory last year when he told Tesla CEO Elon Musk during an X Spaces conversation that &ldquo;prior to the introduction of Prozac, we had almost none of these events.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10696168\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public health <\/a>and medical researchers, SSRIs are prescribed for depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, which are diagnoses common among transgender people. The drugs are not used to treat gender dysphoria specifically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Many researchers have pushed back on Kennedy&rsquo;s claims. Medical studies show that most mass shooters suffer from <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34102649\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-in-fatal-attacks-on-homeless-in-d-c-nyc-named-we-got-our-man\/\" title=\"Suspect in Fatal Attacks on Homeless in D.C., NYC Named: \u2018We Got Our Man\u2019\">untreated mental illness<\/a><\/a>, and that there is <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31513302\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no evidence connecting<\/a> psychiatric drugs to mass shootings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is currently unknown if Westman took SSRIs or underwent hormone therapies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The shooting has stirred up national <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/3785288\/minneapolis-shooting-revives-old-gun-debate-in-new-context-of-trump-crime-push\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conversations around gun violence<\/a>, with Democrats arguing that the real cause of mass shootings is easy access to high-powered firearms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are 400 million guns in this country. More guns than people,&rdquo; Smith said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenTinaSmith\/status\/1961061774767075744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow-up post on X<\/a>. &ldquo;In America, we are ten times more likely to be shot in a school or playground than any other developed nation.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3784539\/politicians-religious-leaders-mourn-minneapolis-annunciation-church-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>US MOURNS MINNEAPOLIS ANNUNCIATION CHURCH SHOOTING: &lsquo;HUG YOUR KIDS CLOSE&rsquo;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Conservative commentators and influencers have focused on Westman&rsquo;s alleged gender change as a reason for the shooting, and fixated on Audrey Hale, a transgender person who killed six people at a Nashville elementary school in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>A Violence Prevention Project <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theviolenceproject.org\/mass-shooter-database\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> that analyzed almost 200 mass shootings between 1996 and 2004 found that only one was committed by a transgender person. The report defines a &ldquo;mass shooting&rdquo; as &ldquo;four or more people shot and killed, excluding the shooter, in a public location, with no connection to underlying criminal activity, such as gangs or drugs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minnesota senator tells RFK Jr. to stop blaming psychiatric drugs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3984,"featured_media":2480094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-collage-avsio2mvj-1756411767501.jpg?1756397486&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50385,53736,62203,36160,32458],"class_list":["post-2480093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gun-control-2","tag-mass-shootings","tag-minnesota-senator","tag-political-controversy","tag-rfk-jr"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-collage-avsio2mvj-1756411767501.jpg?1756397486&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3984"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2480093"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2480097,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480093\/revisions\/2480097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2480094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2480093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2480093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2480093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}