It seems that the left has ranted about almost nothing else but gun control since the massacre in Las Vegas Sunday night.
Even evangelist Franklin Graham noted on Facebook that Hillary Clinton's first public reaction attacked the National Rifle Association.
She 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."Â She followed with: "Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again."
Graham, the CEO and president of both Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Association, wrote: "What’s the difference between Hillary Clinton & Donald J. Trump as president? Well, there are many. But it is impossible not to notice the difference in response to the crisis of the Las Vegas shooting massacre yesterday. Hillary immediately – and ineffectively – tried to make it about gun control, her agenda. President Trump brought comfort from God's Word and pointed America to the importance of prayer. I'm thankful millions noticed the difference."
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Graham quoted President Trump, who said in his address to the nation Monday after the attack: "'Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. We seek comfort in those words, for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve. To the wounded who are now recovering in hospitals, we are praying for your full and speedy recovery, and pledge to you our support from this day forward. … We pray for the entire nation to find unity and peace, and we pray for the day when evil is banished and the innocent are safe from hatred and from fear. … May God bless the souls of the lives that are lost, may God give us the grace of healing and may God provide the grieving families with strength to carry on."
While the motive of the suspect in the Las Vegas shooting, Stephen Paddock, is unknown, the left's talking points mirror previous shootings, calling for more gun control immediately.
Here are some of the comments by late-night TV hosts:
The Daily Caller reported Jimmy Kimmel "continued his recent move into politics," complaining about loopholes in gun laws, Stephen Colbert called for Congress to do "anything" on gun control, and "Trevor Noah and Seth Meyers also joined the chorus of calls for Congress to 'do something.'"
Clinton led the way in injecting politics into the Las Vegas tragedy, with ABC reporting she "sharply criticized the National Rifle Association and a bill working its way through Congress that would make it easier to buy gun silencers."
The report said Clinton probably was referring to the Hearing Protection Act by Reps. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and John Carter, R-Texas. It would remove silencers from the IRS's definition of firearms, making them easier to obtain.
"Critics of the bill believe that the sound of a gunshot is a safety feature that alerts others to potential danger, while supporters argue that silencers protect the hearing of gun owners," the report said.
The New York Times published a series of letters advocating for gun control.
Stephen Silver of San Francisco wrote: "These mass killings will continue until there is the political will to enact effective gun control measures." And Randall Hirzel of Denver said: "This kind of terrorism is brought to you by the National Rifle Association and all those who support the idea of semiautomatic weapons being in the hands of practically anyone. More weapons and more dangerous weapons are killing us, not protecting us."
Gun-shop owners who sold weapons to Paddock have said he fulfilled every legal requirement. And investigators have found no confrontations with police, weapons charges or other red flags.
"We mourn for this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the lost and injured," said Christopher M. Sullivan, the general manager of Guns & Guitars Inc. "Mr. Paddock was a customer and purchased firearms from our store; however, all necessary background checks and procedures were followed, as required by local, state, and federal law. He never gave any indication or reason to believe he was unstable or unfit at any time."
Time reported the initial response from Republicans was that there is no need to change gun laws.
"The fact that a psychopathic killer murdered innocents is cause for grief. It's cause for more vigorous law enforcement – for stopping madmen and killers," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told the publication. "But it is not an excuse for Democrats to try and strip away Second Amendment rights from law-abiding citizens."
"When an Islamic terrorist blows up a school with kids in it, we are told not to judge all Muslims by the acts of a few,"Â said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. "And I agree with that. So why do we want to judge all 80 million gun owners in America because of the acts of one perverted idiot? I don't know what else to call him. I don't think our problem in America is gun laws. I think criminals obey gun laws like politicians keep promises."
Author and blogger Muhammad Talha Afzal commented at The Nation: "Each time an incident occurs, there is massive outcry over gun laws. Promises to curb gun rights are made but as time passes, the resolve to change law wanes. And as promises fade, powerful gun right advocates like the NRA rise to fill the space.
"It is evident that in order for leaders to curb gun violence, it is imperative that citizens and corporations start distancing themselves from guns. Mental illness seems to be the common element among most homicide cases. Laws should be introduced that mandate background and mental health checks. Checks on firearms should be tightened to ensure mentally challenged people find it hard to buy guns. Records that show when a person was admitted to a mental health institute should be made available for sellers of firearms. Manufacture of high power rifles should be discontinued and guns that are allowed to manufacture should include safety controls."
Exactly what type of gun control would have been effective against Paddock remains unclear, unless it would be the search-every-closet-and-take-every-firearm type.
CBS News reported he had accessories that would have enabled his semi-automatic rifles to fire rapidly and continuously, as evidenced by the video of the shooting attack at the time.
Wired reported the technology exists to lower the danger of random and violent attacks, but it probably couldn't prevent a disaster like Las Vegas.
"The bulk of the technological gun-control effort lies in 'smart' firearms technology. That means smart guns, which can only be fired by their owner or approved users, and smart safes and locks that can only be opened by approved parties. Those have the potential to reduce accidental shootings, and to make stolen guns less valuable. But they do nothing to prevent the legal owner of a firearm from using it in a malicious way," the report said.
"While it's unclear whether the Las Vegas shooter – 64-year-old Stephen Paddock – used his own rifles in the attack, he did frequent gun shops, and could legally buy firearms. And in general, experts say that the majority of mass shooters use guns that they legally purchase, making it more difficult for smart guns and other technology to play a role in stopping them."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders pushed back when asked about Clinton's attack on Second Amendment gun rights.
"I think before we start trying to talk about the preventions of what took place last night, we need to know more facts, and right now we’re simply not at that point," Sanders said. "It is very easy for Mrs. Clinton to criticize and to come out, but I think we need to remember the only person with blood on their hands is that of the shooter, and this isn't a time for us to go after individuals or organizations. I think we can have those policy conversations but today is not that day."
The Firearms Policy Coalition said violent attacks are always hurtful.
"Opportunistic politicians who prey on tragedies like this one have already begun to suggest that our response should be to abandon our constitutional principles in favor of policies that would ban more guns, disarm more victims, and further expand 'gun free zones' – spaces shielded by nothing more than invisible lines and wishful thinking," the group said. "Such policies are not only irrational, but outright dangerous. As every attack in what was purported to be a ‘gun-free’, ‘bomb-free’, or ‘vehicle-free’ zone proves, there is no set of laws that will prevent evil people from monstrously plotting an effective means to harm others."
The group recalled the description years ago by Alex Kozinski, then chief justice of the 9th Circuit Court, who said the "prospect of tyranny may not grab the headlines the way vivid stories of gun crime routinely do."
"But few saw the Third Reich coming until it was too late. The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed – where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees," the judge said. "However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once."
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