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Donald Trump sends 'warmest condolences' after Las Vegas shooting Donald Trump sends 'warmest condolences' after Las Vegas shooting
(about 1 hour later)
Donald Trump tweeted on Monday to extend condolences to the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas and their families. Fifty people were killed and more than 400 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Donald Trump called the mass shooting in Las Vegas an “act of pure evil”, after at least 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the deadliest such event in modern US history.
“My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting,” the president wrote. “God bless you!” In measured remarks suffused with religious sentiment, including a rare biblical citation and avoiding political flashpoints such as the issue of gun control, Trump said he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump was “briefed on the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas”. Speaking in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Trump said: “Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence and although we feel such great anger at the senseless murder of our fellow citizens, it is our love that defines us today and always will forever.”
Sanders said: “We are monitoring the situation closely and offer our full support to state and local officials. All of those affected are in our thoughts and prayers.” He added: “In times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness, the answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”
The president, who is not known for public expressions of faith, went on to read a line from Psalm 34: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Earlier, Trump tweeted his first comment on the shooting. “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting,” the president wrote. “God bless you!”
The thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifferenceThe thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference
Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said he would go to Las Vegas to meet law enforcement, first responders and victims, and said: “My heart and prayers go the victims and their families and friends who were brutally killed and injured by a shocking and cowardly act of senseless violence.” Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a fervent advocate of gun control reform, made a passionate plea for his colleagues to take action on gun violence, saying: “It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.”
“This tragic and vicious attack on innocent people has claimed the lives of our fellow Americans and devastated hundreds of others who were simply enjoying a country music festival.” The Democrat, who is from the state where 20 children and six adults were killed in the Sandy Hook shooting of 2012, said: “Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity. Last night’s massacre may go down as the deadliest in our nation’s history, but already this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year.”
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut who has been a fervent advocate of gun control reform, said: “My heart goes out to the victims, their families, the first responders, and the entire Las Vegas community. He added: “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren’t public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference.”
“Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity. Last night’s massacre may go down as the deadliest in our nation’s history, but already this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year.” But few lawmakers were willing to join the debate over gun control in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Murphy, from the state where 20 children and six adults were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre of 2012, added: “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren’t public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. In a statement, the House speaker, Paul Ryan, said “this evil tragedy horrifies us all” and added: “The whole country stands united in our shock, in our condolences, and in our prayers.” The Wisconsin Republican said he had ordered “flags over the United States Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the victims of this tragedy”.
“It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.” Since Trump’s inauguration in January there have been other mass shootings, including one in Texas last month when a gunman killed eight at a house party. But events in Las Vegas will be seen as the first major test of a president for whom the National Rifle Association (NRA) was a key part of his electoral coalition.
In a statement, House speaker Paul Ryan said: “America woke up this morning to heartbreaking news. This evil tragedy horrifies us all. To the people of Las Vegas and to the families of the victims, we are with you during this time. The whole country stands united in our shock, in our condolences, and in our prayers.” The shooting came days before the House of Representatives was set to consider legislation that would partially deregulate noise suppressors for firearms. The provision is part of the Share Act, a bill that would also remove restrictions on hunting and shooting on federal land.
The Wisconsin Republican added that he had ordered “flags over the United States Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the victims of this tragedy”. The Share Act was first set for a hearing in June but that was delayed after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia injured five people including the Republican House majority whip, Steve Scalise.
Since Trump’s inauguration in January there have been other mass shootings, including one in Texas last month when a gunman killed eight at a house party and was fatally shot by police. But this will be seen as the first major test of a president who unabashedly embraced the National Rifle Association (NRA) as part of his electoral coalition. Some supporters of gun control were quick to use the Las Vegas shooting to argue against the bill. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, tweeted: “The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get.”
Trump did strike a bipartisan note in June after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice that injured five people including the House majority whip, Steve Scalise. But he has drawn criticism for reactions to other acts of violence. Supporters of loosening regulations on noise suppressers argue that gunshots are still audible when they are used, and that they simply help to protect the hearing of hunters and recreational shooters.
After a deadly terrorist attack in London in June, Trump targeted the city’s mayor on Twitter, misconstruing his words to suggest that he was not taking the threat seriously enough.
In the wake of a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 dead people last year, the then presidential candidate tweeted: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.”
That response was in stark contrast to Barack Obama’s reaction to a series of mass shootings during his administration. Obama described the Sandy Hook shooting as the darkest day of his presidency and wept in public. He also sang Amazing Grace at the funeral of Clementa Pinckney, a pastor shot dead along with eight others at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015.