Tim Walz claims his son Gus, 17, witnessed a school shooting... then makes bizarre gaffe about being 'friends' with gunmen

Vice Presidential candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Walz agreed that schools need to be safer for children before the Democrat made a stunning admission.

'I got a 17-year-old and he witnessed a shooting at a community center playing volleyball,' the Minnesota governor said recounting how his son Gus, 17, witnessed a tragedy himself. 'Those things don't leave you.'

Vance was shocked by the story and immediately offered his condolences.

'I didn't know your 17-year-old witnessed a shooting. I'm sorry about that. Christ have mercy. That is awful,' the Republican said.

The rare moment of bipartisan agreement came just over an hour into the vice presidential debate where the two had been sparing with each other. 

Then just moments later while Walz was advocating for gun control reforms he made a jaw-dropping disclosure: 'I've become friends with school shooters.'

The admission was in response to a question regarding why Walz had changed positions and now supports bans on assault weapons. 

Walz also said he met with the parents of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting as well. 

The Democrat said: 'I met in that office with Sandy Hook parents. I've become friends with school shooters, I've seen it.'

'Look, the NRA, I was an NRA guy for a long time,' he went on. 'They used to teach gun safety. I am of an age where my shotgun was in my car so I could pheasant hunt after football practice.' 

It is unclear what point exactly he was trying to make or if he misspoke.

The strange claim earned him scorn of shooting victims immediately. 

'My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. It's absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying,' tweeted Andrew Pollack, whose daughter was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. 

And attention of the ex-president. 

'Did tampon Tim just say he has 'become friends with school shooters?' Trump wrote on his Truth Social app. 

'He isn't even qualified to be governor, let alone Vice President. Walz and Kamala do not have what it takes!'

Though Vance and Walz did find common ground on securing schools.

'I don't want my kids to go to school in a school that feels unsafe ... we have to increase security in our schools,' Vance said. 

'I think that Governor Walz and I actually probably agree that we need to do better on this. The question is just how we actually do it.'

'We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger. We've got to make the windows stronger, and of course, we've got to increase school resource officers, because the idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys, it just doesn't fit with recent experience. So we've got to make our schools safer.'