Brother of Iraq War Vet Murdered In Planned Parenthood Attack Bravely Condemns Gun Laws

Image from NBC News

Image from NBC News


The brother of murdered Iraq War combat veteran Ke’Arre Stewart said he forgives the alleged Planned Parenthood shooter, Robert Lewis Dear, but he condemned the gun laws that allowed Dear to have access to guns.

Leyonte Chandler told NBC News that he forgives the gunman who shot and killed his 29-year-old brother, who was also the father of two.

“I don’t have any resentment or anything — I forgive him,” he said. “It’s a hard pill to swallow because he took my only brother from me. That’s the only brother that I had, that I grew up with. He took that away from me and it’s hard but I forgive him. Jesus forgave me, so I have to forgive him.”

Chandler added: “My anger is not toward him, toward the gunmen … my anger is toward the laws that allow things like this to happen: the gun laws. When you allow people to carry firearms at their own will it makes a breeding ground for destruction and tragedy.”

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The two other people fatally shot by Dear include a mother of two, 36-year-old Jennifer Markovsky, and married father of two, Pastor and Officer Garrett Swasey.

The “pro-life” value system espoused by the shooter who ranted to police about President Obama and “baby parts” is a belief system currently based on anti-Christian actions like hatred for President Obama, spreading lies about Planned Parenthood, bearing false witness against individuals working for Planned Parenthood, and shaming, humiliating and terrifying women seeking access to control over their bodies.

The Planned Parenthood videos don’t reveal what the shooter thinks they did, and Republicans who elevated and gave credibility to the false videos through taxpayer funded Congressional witch hunts know that. They knew it at the time, because they know that selling fetal tissue for medical research is legal.

Additionally, multiple committees have already investigated the claims against Planned Parenthood and they came up empty handed. But Republicans didn’t let facts deter their partisan agenda and get out the vote tactic – they started yet another investigation in what has become the go-to for them– keep throwing stuff at the wall and something will stick. At the very least the public will associate the person/agency/organization with corruption because why else would they be investigated over and over again.

Once again, someone falling for Republican conspiracy theories – yet another alleged “lone wolf” and “mentally disturbed” person – has gunned down innocent people — fathers, mothers, sisters, daughters, sons, husbands and wives – someone’s family member.

And in seeming perfect juxtaposition to this specific Republican brand of hatred and willingness to lie and fear-monger about people and their ideas until they are harmed by yet another “mentally disturbed” person with access to weapons, we have Leyonte Chandler, who says he has already forgiven the shooter because Jesus forgave him.



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