Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks spoke out about the latest mass shooting that struck an American town on Monday during a July 4th parade.
The shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, left six people dead and more than 30 others injured. Robert Crimo was arrested hours later following a short car chase, police said.
Hendriks, who was born in Australia and has been playing Major League Baseball since 2011, addressed the shooting before the team’s game against the Minnesota Twins. He said shootings like the one in Highland Park were "becoming all too commonplace."
"I think the access to the weaponry that is being kind of used in these things is …. Something needs to change. Something needs to be done. Something needs to happen because there’s way too many people losing their lives, and it’s not only about the people who lose their lives," he told reporters.
"The families of that, the tragedy they go through, the entire community when people are concerned about leaving the house, concerned about doing the day-to-day things of going to work or any number of these things. We really need to reflect on what’s going on. I don’t think enough is being done.
"Too many people are dying, and it’s no excuse to say, ‘I’m on this side or that side.' At some point, things need to get done or else it’s getting to the point where civilization as you know it may be ending just to the fact there’s two drastically different sides. Something needs to change. Something needs to happen, and it needs to happen quick."
Hendriks said it baffled him that in certain states, as a non-American, he can go into a store and purchase a handgun.
"I had to take a driving test when I was over here. I won’t have to take a test if I want to get a gun. That’s stupid. Whoever thought that was a great idea was an idiot," he said. "There’s a lot of that goes on. As an Australian, we dealt with it as a country back in the day when we had a mass shooting.
"When we had a mass shooting, the government came in and said we can’t do this, we’re gonna do a buy-back program and so we’re gonna buy back the guns for a fair price and all this. And all of a sudden, suicide rates dropped drastically, gun-related homicides dropped infinitely and it’s something that has pretty much kept on. You can get access to guns in Australia but there’s a lot more stipulations on it and protection isn’t a good enough reason to get a gun."
The White Sox were among the Chicago-area sports team that released statements on the Highland Park shooting.
"Our hearts are with the Highland Park community. The entire Chicago White Sox organization expresses our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the innocent victims of today's horrific shooting and all of those who have been affected by this tragedy," the team said Monday.