On Tuesday, President Trump looked on the bright side of the deadly massacre in Las Vegas, calling it “in many ways a miracle,” and praising the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, before saying he’ll discuss gun laws at a later time.
“What happened in Las Vegas is in many ways a miracle. The police department has done such an incredible job and we’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes by,” Trump told reporters as he and First Lady Melania Trump left the White House to visit Puerto Rico after the island has been ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
“But I do have to say, how quickly the police department was able to get in, was really very much of a miracle. They’ve done an amazing job,” he added.
The shooting October 1 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival left 59 dead and more than 500 injured when a gunman opened fire during a performance by country star Jason Aldean from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort on the Las Vegas strip, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.
Democrats like Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have reignited the discussion in Washington, D.C., about stricter gun laws, undercutting Trump’s remarks that the discussion will come “as time goes by.”
“We cannot banish evil in the earth. Congress can’t do that; the president can’t do that. What Congress can do, what Congress must do, is pass laws to keep our citizens safe,” Schumer said on the floor of the Senate Monday, adding that action “starts with laws that help prevent guns, especially the most dangerous guns, from falling into the wrong hands.”
Other notable Democrats, like Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren, have also called for action. “We can and must put policies aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again,” Clinton tweeted Monday.
“Tragedies like Las Vegas have happened too many times,” Warren tweeted Monday. “We need to have the conversation about how to stop gun violence. We need it NOW.”
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.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 2, 2017
Tragedies like Las Vegas have happened too many times. We need to have the conversation about how to stop gun violence. We need it NOW.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 2, 2017