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Las Vegas shooting: death toll hits 59 as firearm stockpile found at suspect's home – live updates
Las Vegas shooting: death toll hits 59 as firearm stockpile found at suspect's home – live updates
(35 minutes later)
12.43am BST
00:43
Here’s a detailed timeline of the shooting and aftermath from Guardian reporters Dan Hernandez and David Smith:
Just after 10pm: Rapid fire rings out. At first, few realise the extent of the unfolding horror, assuming the sounds are part of the show. But as bullets continue to rain down, the music stops and Aldean rushes off stage. “He literally dropped his guitar, threw it down and sprinted to the side,” said witness. Brian Claypool.
Read the full account here:
12.32am BST
00:32
Some updates on the ongoing donation efforts to support victims, including one GoFundMe page that has raised more than $1.6m towards a $2m goal:
From presser: lines to donate blood at 6+ hrs. Metro “overwhelmed” by food/water donations @ convention ctr. $1.2M in gofundme #vegasstrong
GoFundMe page passes $1.6 million mark, 20,000+ donations on way to $2M goal for victims of Las Vegas shooting.https://t.co/7zBdQSWQvb pic.twitter.com/5cdi8MXtmZ
.@Raiders & @NFLFoundation total $100,000 donation toward relief for those affected by Las Vegas Strip shooting https://t.co/nczsfsUBw7
12.20am BST
00:20
More victims identified
Officials and relatives have continued to identify more of the 59 people who died in the shooting. Angie Gomez, a former high school cheerleader, was one of the victims, her former school in California announced:
Angie Gomez, grad of Calif.'s Riverside Polytechnic HS, identified as one of 59 killed in Las Vegas Strip Shooting https://t.co/oTRhfD5Ozy
Angie Gomez was an ex-high school cheerleader. “My heart is in shambles and none of this feels real,” friend tweeted https://t.co/IE5T4b3TAQ pic.twitter.com/OXpUuuXv25
An off-duty Las Vegas police officer and military veteran named Charleston Hartfield has also been identified:
1 off-duty Metro cop killed: Charleston Hartfield, 34. 2nd off-duty cop shot in neck, shoulder. Serious but stable: https://t.co/BriduKsLjt
Charleston Hartfield, 34, was an off-duty Las Vegas police officer, youth football coach, and military veteran. https://t.co/zWVpk32vDO pic.twitter.com/bgVXTORUNt
Read more about the victims here.
12.02am BST
12.02am BST
00:02
00:02
The latest
The latest
There were few significant updates at the latest press conference from law enforcement. Officials say the next update is scheduled for around 7pm local time. Here’s a summary of the latest announcements:
There were few significant updates at the latest press conference from law enforcement. Officials say the next update is scheduled for around 7pm local time. Here’s a summary of the latest announcements:
A total of 59 people have died, not including the suspect, and 527 people have been injured.
A total of 59 people have died, not including the suspect, and 527 people have been injured.
Police said authorities found several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a material used to make explosives, in the suspect’s car.
Police said authorities found several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a material used to make explosives, in the suspect’s car.
At least 17 guns were found in the hotel room of the shooter.
At least 17 guns were found in the hotel room of the shooter.
The shooter is believed to have fired roughly 500 yards from his hotel room to the site of the concert.
The shooter is believed to have fired roughly 500 yards from his hotel room to the site of the concert.
The suspect had a girlfriend, who is currently in Tokyo, according to police, who are continuing to investigate her and plan to meet with her when she returns.
The suspect had a girlfriend, who is currently in Tokyo, according to police, who are continuing to investigate her and plan to meet with her when she returns.
Police are preparing to raid another property of the suspect in Reno, Nevada.
Police are preparing to raid another property of the suspect in Reno, Nevada.
Authorities still have no information to share about a possible motive for the shooting.
Authorities still have no information to share about a possible motive for the shooting.
Several gun dealers have come forward and said they sold weapons to the suspect, who reportedly passed background checks.
Several gun dealers have come forward and said they sold weapons to the suspect, who reportedly passed background checks.
The suspect may have attended another music festival in Las Vegas one week ago.
The suspect may have attended another music festival in Las Vegas one week ago.
11.48pm BST
11.48pm BST
23:48
23:48
Sandy Hook Promise, a group formed by several family members of the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, have released a statement expressing frustration at the “cyclical” gun control debate and calling for action:
Sandy Hook Promise, a group formed by several family members of the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, have released a statement expressing frustration at the “cyclical” gun control debate and calling for action:
Over the past five years, we have witnessed how we generally respond (or don’t) as a country to mass shootings like Las Vegas. It’s usually a cyclical conversation, starting with debate between banning assault weapons or arming more Americans, moving then to a focus on mental illness and “good guys vs bad guys” and finally to policy proposals that may relate directly to what occurred, but possibly not, and no federal legislation changes will pass. By the end of next week this story will be almost gone as if it never happened, even while those most impacted are still reeling from shock and grief.
Over the past five years, we have witnessed how we generally respond (or don’t) as a country to mass shootings like Las Vegas. It’s usually a cyclical conversation, starting with debate between banning assault weapons or arming more Americans, moving then to a focus on mental illness and “good guys vs bad guys” and finally to policy proposals that may relate directly to what occurred, but possibly not, and no federal legislation changes will pass. By the end of next week this story will be almost gone as if it never happened, even while those most impacted are still reeling from shock and grief.
We are asking Americans, in the name of these victims and to protect those still living, do something – let’s move from rhetoric and focusing on just “the gun” to more focus on “the shooter” and steps we can be taking as a country to identify and stop them before it’s too late.
We are asking Americans, in the name of these victims and to protect those still living, do something – let’s move from rhetoric and focusing on just “the gun” to more focus on “the shooter” and steps we can be taking as a country to identify and stop them before it’s too late.
"We are asking Americans, in the name of these victims and to protect those still living, do something." https://t.co/FqrxSoujIA #LasVegas
"We are asking Americans, in the name of these victims and to protect those still living, do something." https://t.co/FqrxSoujIA #LasVegas
11.38pm BST
11.38pm BST
23:38
23:38
Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters that the suspect shot through a doorway and struck a hotel security guard in the leg. The shooter also had fertilizer and ammonium nitrate in his car at the casino, he said.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters that the suspect shot through a doorway and struck a hotel security guard in the leg. The shooter also had fertilizer and ammonium nitrate in his car at the casino, he said.
A swat team is also preparing to enter the suspect’s home in Reno shortly.
A swat team is also preparing to enter the suspect’s home in Reno shortly.
Lombardo said he didn’t have much information to share about the suspect, but that he appeared to be “reclusive”. The sheriff said it’s possible that the gunman attended a three-day music festival called Life is Beautiful in downtown Las Vegas one week ago.
Lombardo said he didn’t have much information to share about the suspect, but that he appeared to be “reclusive”. The sheriff said it’s possible that the gunman attended a three-day music festival called Life is Beautiful in downtown Las Vegas one week ago.
11.27pm BST
11.27pm BST
23:27
23:27
Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman, speaking at the press conference, has said that first responders saved thousands of lives by acting quickly and getting to the scene within minutes. Victims didn’t know what was happening when the suspect first started firing, she added:
Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman, speaking at the press conference, has said that first responders saved thousands of lives by acting quickly and getting to the scene within minutes. Victims didn’t know what was happening when the suspect first started firing, she added:
They’re thinking it’s fireworks or it’s part of the technology of the music being played. They were thinking it’s coming from different areas.
They’re thinking it’s fireworks or it’s part of the technology of the music being played. They were thinking it’s coming from different areas.
There were 22,000 people at the event, she noted.
There were 22,000 people at the event, she noted.
Nevada US senator Dean Heller said at the conference: “We’ll never forget 1 October 2017. It’s a day we’ll remember for years to come.”
Nevada US senator Dean Heller said at the conference: “We’ll never forget 1 October 2017. It’s a day we’ll remember for years to come.”
Updated
Updated
at 11.29pm BST
at 11.29pm BST
11.17pm BST
11.17pm BST
23:17
23:17
Officials say victims have suffered a wide range of injuries, including gunshot wounds, shrapnel wounds, injuries from people jumping fences while trying to escape and more:
Officials say victims have suffered a wide range of injuries, including gunshot wounds, shrapnel wounds, injuries from people jumping fences while trying to escape and more:
Gunshots, trample injuries, people jumping fences to escape among the 527 injuries per @ClarkCountyFD. "Dozens and dozens" of ambulances.
Gunshots, trample injuries, people jumping fences to escape among the 527 injuries per @ClarkCountyFD. "Dozens and dozens" of ambulances.
Officials say the local coroner’s office is still working to identify victims and provide updates to families. Asked if the coroner was able to handle the number of bodies, an official said yes, but added, “I don’t know if anyone can be fully equipped to handle this.”
Officials say the local coroner’s office is still working to identify victims and provide updates to families. Asked if the coroner was able to handle the number of bodies, an official said yes, but added, “I don’t know if anyone can be fully equipped to handle this.”
Some further information for victims’ families:
Some further information for victims’ families:
.@LVMPD: @stationcasinos, @boydgaming, @southpointlv & Segal Suites offer place to stay for families of victims of Las Vegas Strip shooting
.@LVMPD: @stationcasinos, @boydgaming, @southpointlv & Segal Suites offer place to stay for families of victims of Las Vegas Strip shooting
11.07pm BST
11.07pm BST
23:07
23:07
Death toll rises to 59
Death toll rises to 59
Officials in Las Vegas are providing an update at a press conference now. The official death toll is now at 59, and police say 527 people have been injured.
Officials in Las Vegas are providing an update at a press conference now. The official death toll is now at 59, and police say 527 people have been injured.
Police also say authorities have found 18 firearms, explosives and several thousands of rounds of ammunition at the suspect’s home in Mesquite, Nevada.
Police also say authorities have found 18 firearms, explosives and several thousands of rounds of ammunition at the suspect’s home in Mesquite, Nevada.
10.51pm BST
10.51pm BST
22:51
22:51
State of emergency declared
State of emergency declared
Clark County, which has jurisdiction over the Las Vegas strip, has just declared a state of emergency:
Clark County, which has jurisdiction over the Las Vegas strip, has just declared a state of emergency:
An #emergency has been declared in #ClarkCounty as a result of #vegasshooting. It was issued a short time ago. #PrayForVegas pic.twitter.com/imiIqA6Ves
An #emergency has been declared in #ClarkCounty as a result of #vegasshooting. It was issued a short time ago. #PrayForVegas pic.twitter.com/imiIqA6Ves
10.41pm BST
22:41
Gunman passed background check, store owner says
Sam Levin here, taking over our live coverage of the shooting in Las Vegas, where officials are expected to soon provide an update. Chris Michel, owner of a Utah gun store, has spoken out about meeting suspect Stephen Paddock and selling to him. Michel told the Associated Press:
There were no red flags. I had no idea he would be capable of this.
The owner of Dixie GunWorx said Paddock visited the store several times this year and purchased a shotgun after passing a federal gun background check. The suspect allegedly told the store owner he was “new to the area” and visiting local gunshots. He bought the shotgun in February from the store located in St George, Utah, which is a 40-minute drive from Paddock’s home in Mesquite, Nevada.
Another store in Mesquite that reportedly sold firearms to the suspect has also released a statement, saying Paddock “never gave any indication or reason to believe he was unstable or unfit at any time”:
Statement from manager of gunstore, Guns and Guitars, Inc. in Mesquite, NV that sold firearms to Las Vegas shooter: pic.twitter.com/FM5k7H5i9D
10.16pm BST
22:16
Country musician embraces gun control
The lead guitarist of a country music band playing Route 91 Harvest festival, where a gunman murdered 58 people on Sunday night, has said the horrific experience of the attack has changed his views on gun laws in America.
“I’ve been a proponent of the [second] amendment my entire life,” Caleb Keeter posted on Twitter. “Until the events of last night. I cannot express how wrong I was.”
In the chaotic hours after the attack, which began around 10pm, the members of the Josh Abbott Band were eventually able to post a message on social media, saying that the band and crew were safe.
“I’ll never unhear those gunshots; and our band [and] crew will never forget how that moment made them feel,” singer Josh Abbott wrote on Twitter. “Our hearts are with all the victims.”
But Keeter went further, describing the ordeal as a revelation. He said that members of the band’s crew have concealed handgun licenses, and legal firearms on the bus.
“They were useless,” he said. “We couldn’t touch them for fear police might think that we were part of the massacre and shoot us. A small group (or one man) laid waste to a city with dedicated, fearless police officers desperately trying to help, because of access to an insane amount of firepower. Enough is enough.”
Keeter said that he spent the harrowing moments of the shooting “writing to my parents and the love of my life a goodbye” – and “a living will because I felt like I wasn’t going to live through the night”.
Around him, his friends, bandmates and crew were trapped, under fire. “These rounds were powerful enough that my crew guys just standing in a close proximity of a victim shot by this fucking coward received shrapnel wounds.”
The feeling, he wrote, “was enough for me to realize that this is completely and totally out of hand.”
“We need gun control RIGHT. NOW,” he added. “My biggest regret is that I stubbornly didn’t realize it until my brothers on the road and myself were threatened by it.”
Many country musicians have shied away from politics in recent years, fearing a backlash from fans – as the Dixie Chicks suffered for their opposition to the Iraq war. Exceptions include Lee Greenwood and Toby Keith, who performed at the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has promised to defend gun rights from attempts to regulate firearms. Keith defended the performance, noting that he played events for Republican and Democratic presidents: “I don’t apologize for performing for our country or military.”
The National Rifle Association, the pro-gun lobbying group, has also established an arm called NRA Country that features country music artists, and encourages musicians and fans to “celebrate the lifestyle”. In April, Trump called himself “a true friend and champion” of the lobbying group.
“No longer will the government be trying to undermine your rights and your freedoms as Americans,” the president said at an annual NRA conference. “Instead, we will work with you, by your side.”
Over the years, Keeter has argued in favor of gun rights, arguing on Twitter that if current laws were “actually enforced, the people committing the shootings wouldn’t have these guns.” In 2012, he went so far as to say “I fear giving the ability to regulate our weapons to the institution that makes gun ownership a necessity.”
He said he regretted that on Monday. “I saw this happening for years and did nothing,” he wrote. “I’d like to do what I can now.”
Also on Monday, Democrats in the Senate and House called for universal background checks on gun purchases and a commission to research gun violence prevention.
The Trump White House resisted those calls, with spokeswoman Sarah Sanders saying: “There is a time and place for a political debate. But this is a time to unite as a country.”
“It would be premature to discuss policy when we don’t fully know all the facts or what took place last night.”
Updated
at 10.43pm BST
10.06pm BST
22:06
The gunman’s brother, Eric Paddock, describes the suspect – and his surprise and horror – to reporters outside his home in central Florida.
9.37pm BST
21:37
Sam Levin
Facebook and Google promoted false news stories that, in the early, chaotic hours during and after the Las Vegas attack, misidentified a man as the shooter, Sam Levin reports.
Before authorities named 64-year-old Stephen Paddock as the suspect, some falsely identified the gunman as someone named Geary Danley. It’s unclear where exactly the hoax originated, but rightwing users aggressively promoted his name, seizing on evidence that he was a liberal.
On 4chan, the anonymous message board and a favorite platform of the “alt-right”, some noted that Danley was a registered Democrat. Soon after, Gateway Pundit, a conspiracy-laden blog that now has White House credentials, published an evidence-free story headlined “Las Vegas Shooter Reportedly a Democrat Who Liked Rachel Maddow, MoveOn.org and Associated with Anti-Trump Army”. The piece was based on a review of Facebook “likes”.
Despite the fact that the claims were unproven and coming from non-credible sources, Facebook’s “Safety Check” page, which is supposed to help people connect with loved ones during the crisis, ended up briefly promoting a story that said the shooter had “Trump-hating” views, along with links to a number of other hoaxes and scams, according to screenshots. At the same time, Google users who searched Geary Danley’s name were at one point directed to the 4chan threadfilled with false claims.
The successful manipulation of social media algorithms to politicize a tragedy speaks to a relatively new pattern of online abuse – from the careless and accidental, like the misidentification of the suspect behind the Boston marathon bombing in 2013, to overt exploitation and targeted disinformation.
“It’s getting more polarized. There’s this mad scramble to paint the guy as a Democrat or a Republican, so they can cheer,” Brooke Binkowski, managing editor of fact-checking website Snopes.com, said in an interview. “A lot of this is pushed by trolls deliberately to muddy the conversation.”
Google, Facebook and Twitter have faced repeated accusations that they allow propaganda to spread on their sites and reach large audiences. The tech corporations have typically blamed their algorithms and offered vague pledges of improvement.
The Mandalay Bay shooting was no exception. Google said in a statement: “Unfortunately, early this morning we were briefly surfacing an inaccurate 4chan website in our Search results for a small number of queries. Within hours, the 4chan story was algorithmically replaced by relevant results. This should not have appeared for any queries, and we’ll continue to make algorithmic improvements to prevent this from happening in the future.
Facebook attempted to downplay its role in promoting false stories, saying in a statement: “Our Global Security Operations Center spotted these posts this morning and we have removed them. However, their removal was delayed, allowing them to be screen captured and circulated online. We are working to fix the issue that allowed this to happen in the first place and deeply regret the confusion this caused.”
9.21pm BST
21:21
Jamiles Lartey
The first of the 58 victims of the Las Vegas shooting are starting to be identified, with details of their lives emerging from family, friends and social media. Jamiles Lartey reports:
Sonny Melton, 29, who lived in Big Sandy, Tennessee, and worked at a nearby hospital, was the first victim publicly identified. Family members confirmed to the news station WSMV that he was killed in the gunfire.
His wife, Heather Melton, told WZTV that her husband had shielded her from bullets on the ground when the shooting began. “He saved my life and lost his,” she said.
A friend of the couple told the Paris (Tennessee) Post-Intelligencer that the two had gotten married about a year ago.
“I want everyone to know what a kindhearted loving man he was, but at this point I can barely breathe,” Heather Melton wrote to USA Today.
The couple both worked at Henry County medical center in Tennessee, he as a registered nurse, she as an orthopedic surgeon. “The thoughts and prayers of the entire HCMC family are with Sonny and Heather’s families,” the center’s chief executive, Thomas Gee, said in a statement.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a 23-year-old British Columbia man, Jordan McIldoon, was also among the dead, according to his parents. Another concertgoer posted on Facebook on Sunday night that McIldoon had “died in [her] arms”.
“We only had one child,” McIldoon’s parents told CBC. “We just don’t know what to do.”
Local outlets in Bakersfield, California have confirmed with family members that 20-year-old Bailey Schweitzer was killed in the attack. Jessica Klymchuk, an Edmonton, Alberta, woman, has also been confirmed dead in the shooting.
8.52pm BST
20:52
Stephen Paddock owned several rental properties, had an expired pilot’s license, and enjoyed gambling, the AP reports, drawing from public records, interview with family and the nascent police investigation.
The gunman’s brother, Eric Paddock said that he had not talked to his brother in six months and last heard from him in a text message sent after Hurricane Irma.
“It was like, ‘You ok?’ ‘Yeah,’” he said. “We talked when we had something to talk about.”
He also recalled another recent text showing “a picture that he won $40,000 on a slot machine. But that’s the way he played.”
Police searched Paddock’s home in Mesquite, near the Arizona border about 80 miles north-east of Las Vegas, and did not find any bombs or traps that they feared there.
He bought the property for $369,000 in 2015, according to property records. Court documents suggest he co-owned rental property in California and Texas. His brother described him as “wealthy”, and someone who enjoyed online poker and cruises.
Police also searched a two-bedroom home Paddock owned in a retirement community in Reno, 500 miles from Mesquite.
He previously lived in another Mesquite, the Dallas suburb, from 2004 to 2012, according to Mesquite, Texas, police Lt Brian Parrish. Paddock owned at least three separate rental properties, Parrish said, and there was no indication the police department had any contact with him over that time, Parrish said.
He has been divorced at least twice, including marriages that ended in 1980 and 1990. One of the ex-wives lives in Southern California, where a large gathering of reporters congregated in her neighborhood.
Los Angeles police Sgt Cort Bishop said she did not want to speak with journalists. He relayed that the two had not been in contact for a long time and did not have children.
Records also showed that Paddock had gained a pilot’s license in November 2003, and that he had temporary Alaska fishing licenses in 2009 and 2010.
In 2012, Paddock sued the Cosmopolitan Hotel & Resorts in Nevada, saying he slipped and fell on a wet floor there. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by a judge and settled by arbitration.
Reached by telephone, Paddock’s lawyer at the time, Jared Richards, said he could not comment because of client confidentiality concerns.
8.36pm BST
20:36
Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, NBC and the Wall Street Journal are reporting more details of the police responseto the shooting.
According to NBC, police first received a call about the shooting at 10.08pm on Sunday night. An hour and 12 minutes elapsed before they breached the hotel room door, at 11.20pm, around which time the gunman killed himself.
Part of the delay, NBC reports, was officers’ struggle to determine which floor and room where the gunman was firing from.
“As soon as they got on the floor they knew that that’s where the shots were coming from,” the network’s Pete Williams reported. “Whether they knew that from the smell of gunfire or the sound of gunfire we’re not sure.”
Sheriff Joe Lombardo said earlier Monday that he could not confirm reports that smoke from the gunfire set off the hotel room’s fire alarm, which could have directed police to the room.
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed official, police found 18-20 guns in the room, including automatic rifles and guns in the style of AR-15s and AK-47s. Police have not publicly described what kind of weapons the gunman used.
7.58pm BST
19:58
Lauren Gambino
Lauren Gambino, reporting from Washington DC, attended a press conference by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived a 2011 shooting that killed six and injured more than a dozen others.
“What we’re hearing today at the Capitol and the White House are thoughts and prayers,” her husband, said Mark Kelly said, in remarks delivered outside the Capitol.
“Your thoughts and prayers aren’t going to stop the next shooting. Only action and leadership will do that.”
Giffords and Kelly, who have become prominent advocates for stricter gun control laws since the 2011 shooting, were due to campaign for Democratic Virginia’s gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam, but changed their plans after the massacre in Las Vegas.
“We don’t have to accept this as normal. it’s not normal. It’s not inevitable. It’s an epidemic that needs to be cured,” Kelly said.
He lambasted members of Congress for cowing to political interests, and for considering legislation that he said could create even more chaos during mass shooting situations.
“Imagine how much worse last night’s shooting could have been if the gunman had a silencer,” he said, referring to a bill that would make it easier to buy silencers, devices that reduce the noise emitted from the firearm.
“Imagine the confusion for first responders if they arrived on the scene to a bunch of civilians wielding their own guns attempting to return fire.”
Kelly listed a number of measures he said would help reduce the number of gun deaths each year, including laws to expand background checks, to ban people convicted of domestic violence from purchasing a firearm, to stiffen penalties for straw purchases, and to invest in research on the causes and effects of gun violence.
At the end of his remarks, Giffords leaned over the podium to conclude. “The nation is counting on you,” she said.
Gun control advocates have mobilized in force since the 20 children were killed at Sandy Hook elementary school, in 2012. And while they have made marginal gains on the state level, the groups, which include Kelly and Giffords’ Americans for Responsible Solutions, and members of Congress such as Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, have had little success at the national level.
Asked why the legislative campaign has failed to make a dent in the wake of so many deadly mass shootings, Kelly pointed to an sharp imbalance in resources and entrenched politicization. Though he had little optimism that the current Congress would act, he urged voters to hold legislators accountable at the ballot box.
These are weapons intentionally designed to kill as many people as efficiently as possible. Why is anyone shocked this keeps happening?
Updated
at 8.06pm BST
7.44pm BST
19:44
Video of the last briefing by Nevada authorities, including Las Vegas Metro sheriff Joe Lombardo.
7.23pm BST
19:23
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, has written Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker, to demand action on gun control in the aftermath of the shooting.
“Congress has a moral duty,” she writes, “to address this horrific and heartbreaking epidemic.”
Charged with the solemn duty to protect and defend the American people, we must respond to these tragedies with courage, unity and decisive action.
First, Congress must pass the bipartisan King-Thompson legislation to strengthen the life-saving background checks that keep guns out of the wrong hands. But this is only a first step.
I urge you to create a Select Committee on Gun Violence to study and report back common sense legislation to help end this crisis. The bipartisan committee would make recommendations to prevent unpseakable tragedies such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas and to restore confidence in the safety of our communities.
The White House, however, has resisted calls to action.
“There is a time and place for a political debate. But this is a time to unite as a country,” said spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“It would be premature to discuss policy when we don’t fully know all the facts or what took place last night.”
