The National Rifle Association (NRA) issued a statement after the mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, expressing condolences to those affected by the massacres and support for first responders.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the families and victims of these tragedies, as well as the entire communities of El Paso and Dayton. On behalf of our millions of members, we salute the courage of the first responders and others offering their services during this time,” the association said in a statement.
The group, which promotes legal gun rights along with gun safety and other issues, said it did not want to participate in “politicizing” what happened.
“We will not participate in the politicizing of these tragedies but, as always, we will work in good faith to pursue real solutions that protect us all from people who commit these horrific acts,” the group added.
Read @NRA‘s statement here: pic.twitter.com/Yl7xp8cefU
— NRA (@NRA) August 4, 2019
Democratic presidential candidates regularly attempt to blame the NRA for shootings.
At a candidate forum in Las Vegas after the El Paso shooting on Aug. 3, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told supporters that the leaders of the Senate, which is currently held by Republicans, are “more concerned about pleasing the NRA than listening to the vast majority of the American people.”
He said the Senate, which is currently in recess, should “have a special session to address gun violence in America and let us finally have the courage to take on the NRA.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden also tried blaming the NRA, telling reporters: “This is a sickness. This is beyond anything that we should be tolerating. We can beat the NRA. We can beat the gun manufacturers.”
“I believe that the NRA have [sic] long dominated American politics to the point where they have stopped sensible legislation that would have prevented deaths and prevented killings. They have done it time and time again,” added Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
Some candidates said that President Donald Trump was responsible for the shootings despite no link between Trump and the shooters. Patrick Crusius, 21, the alleged El Paso shooter, said in a manifesto that Trump had nothing to do with his beliefs or actions, and Connor Betts, 24, the alleged Dayton shooter, is a registered Democrat who regularly shared posts on social media critical of Trump and said he supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another Democratic candidate.
Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told ABC that the shooters are “sick” and that “no politician is to blame for that.”
“The First Lady and I join all Americans in praying and grieving for the victims, their families, and the survivors. We will stand by their side forever. We will never forget.” pic.twitter.com/K3lSBIZcEO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 5, 2019
Trump told the nation on Monday that there would be action taken to try to prevent future shootings, saying detecting early warning signs is important. He said he was directing the Department of Justice to work with local, state, and federal agencies and social media companies “to detect mass shooters before they strike.”
Trump denounced white supremacy and the hatred expressed in the El Paso suspect’s manifesto.
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation, and a crime against all of humanity. We are outraged and sickened by this monstrous evil, the cruelty, the hatred, the malice, the bloodshed, and the terror,” he also said.
“Our hearts are shattered for every family whose parents, children, husbands, and wives were ripped from their arms and their lives. America weeps for the fallen. We are a loving nation—and our children are entitled to grow up in a just, peaceful, and loving society. Together, we lock arms to shoulder the grief. We ask God in Heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer. And we vow to act with urgent resolve.”
