Knicks C Joakim Noah Stands Up West Point Cadets: ‘Don’t Understand Kids Killing Kids Around the World’

New York Knicks center Joakim Noah skipped a dinner with West Point cadets Thursday night but stresses that the is anti-war “not anti-troops.” He also contended that we need more gun control.

According to New York Daily News, Noah explained his decision to skip the West Point dinner, saying:

It’s hard for me a little bit. I have a lot of respect for the kids who are out here fighting. But it’s hard for me to understand why we have to go to war, why kids have to kill kids around the world. So I have mixed feelings about being here. I’m very proud of this country. I love America but I just don’t understand kids killing kids around the world.

Noah, who holds French, Swiss, and American citizenship, pointed out that he is “not a very patriotic person, to be honest.” In the past, he has competed for the French team in international play despite his New York City birth and high school, college, and professional career all occurring in the United States. He told his hometown newspaper, “I don’t understand the whole flags, supporting flags.”

He added:

I’m not anti-troops. It’s just not comfortable for me to see kids going to war and coming back having seen what they’ve seen and done what they’ve done. It’s sad for me. It’s sad for me. They’re just sent out for things that are – I don’t really want to get into it, to be honest with you. It’s just hard for me.

Noah, who left the Chicago Bulls this offseason to sign with his hometown team, pointed out his frustration with the refusal of Congress to pass more gun control. He said:

Kids are getting access to automatic weapons. This is not normal. It’s not normal and I know as soon as you talk about guns, people start looking at you crazy and stuff. But to me when you see the amount of school shootings and the accessibility of guns around the country and I see nothing being done about it, I really question our leadership.

A West Point spokesman said the academy would issue a response to Noah’s comments.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.