The shooting that left 26 dead and 20 others injured at a southeastern Texas church on Sunday has devasted a small town and shocked the nation.
Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, allegedly wore a bulletproof vest and used a semi-automatic weapon to open fire both outside of and inside the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A local resident used his own rifle to stop Kelley from shooting more worshippers, causing Kelley to flee in his car. Law enforcement said they later found him dead in his vehicle, yet would not say whether he died from injuries in the shootout with the resident or if it was self-inflicted.
As horrible as this mass shooting is, liberals are engaging in the same song and dance by focusing on ways to score political points without even knowing all the facts about the recently reported tragedy. MSNBC host Joy Reid believes the National Rifle Association and the rest of the gun lobby are partly, if not, mostly, responsible.
The @NRA is soaked and bathed in blood. How do its adherents sleep at night?
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) November 5, 2017
Just five days before when Sayfullo Saipov used a truck to kill 8 people and wound a dozen others in New York City on Halloween, Reid urged that people remain calm and try not to push any policy proposals like Trump’s travel ban to further perpetuate the fear and stigma about Muslims.
The tragedy in NYC is that 8 people are dead. New Yorkers don’t have an hysterical fear of Muslims so no one bother marketing that here.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) October 31, 2017
On Sunday, Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca called for gun control while insulting House Speaker Paul Ryan as a “spineless sack of shit” for offering his prayers to the victims of the church shooting.
There were plenty of prayers in the church where 27 people were gunned down today. What we need is gun control, you spineless sack of shit. https://t.co/b07LXwjk0h
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) November 5, 2017
Right after the terrorist attack in New York City, Duca made it clear that any “fear-mongering” about Muslims through policies such as the travel ban should be kept to “yourself.”
Keep the Muslim fear-mongering to yourself, bigots. New Yorkers don’t fuck with that.
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) October 31, 2017
And then you have Chelsea Handler, the television host turned full-time activist, who decided to blame all Republicans for the continuation and high frequency of mass shootings.
Innocent people go to church on Sunday to honor their God, and while doing so, get shot in killed. What country? America. Why? Republicans.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) November 5, 2017
Surprisingly, Handler’s only tweet about the New York City terrorist attack was not really about the attack itself or Muslims becoming targets, but about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s alleged support for the diversity visa lottery program and how it led to the attack.
Trump blamed Chuck Schumer for the NYC attack. I have to admit it’s kind of nice seeing him blame something on a white guy for a change.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) November 2, 2017
Handler’s tweet leads us right to how President Trump politicized the New York City terrorist attack less than a day after it happened.
The terrorist came into our country through what is called the “Diversity Visa Lottery Program,” a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2017
We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems. We must get MUCH tougher (and smarter). @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2017
Following the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the president tweeted:
May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2017
It would be great if our reactions to terrible events can all be measured and not resort to mass hysteria. But that’s not how life works. People on both sides of the aisle are always attempting to advance their own agenda, whether it be on tighter gun restrictions or controlled immigration into the country.
While the individuals cited above are sought after for their political opinions, there has to be a moratorium on calling for these policy initiatives. Nothing drives a wedge further into an already-divided nation than politics immediately after a tragedy, yet both sides keep falling for it time after time.
It doesn’t harm anyone to hold off on that political hot take or that bullet point argument for gun control or tighter immigration. We can be there for our fellow human beings in times of tragedy and grieve with them. From now on, leave the politics out of it.
