As he indicated Friday, LeBron James isn't going to just shut up and dribble.
No stranger to commenting on social justice issues, the face of the NBA waded into gun politics Saturday, wondering aloud how the 19-year-old gunman in the latest U.S. mass shooting could so easily purchase a high-powered semi-automatic assault rifle.
"We have a kid who (was) legally unable to buy a beer at a bar, but he can go buy an AR-15? It doesn’t make sense," James said at All-Star media availability, according to the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro.
"I'm not saying it should be legal for him to go buy beer. But how is it possible that we can have minors go buy a gun? I don't have the answer to it. But to the families in Parkland, down in Broward County, it's sad and I'm sorry and it's just a tragedy. I hope we don't continue to see this because it's too many in the last 10 years with guns."
Nikolas Cruz, 19, is in custody after confessing to killing 17 people during a shooting spree Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School north of Miami. The incident ranks as the seventh-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
He's believed to have purchased the AR-15 assault rifle he used at a store, which is legal to do in Florida for anyone 18 or older. The state drinking age is 21.
James spent parts of Friday and Saturday answering questions about FOX News host Laura Ingraham, who took issue with James' and Kevin Durant's recent criticism of President Donald Trump. For his part, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that he was "incredibly proud" of the league's players for speaking out on issues they deem important.
