Dem senator criticizes post-shooting ‘prayers’
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says people who pray for the victims of shootings should be asking for forgiveness for their inaction.
Murphy made the comments in a post on Twitter after reports of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., where authorities say at least 14 people were killed.
{mosads}Several GOP primary contenders quickly expressed their condolences and said they were praying for the victims’ families.
“Your ‘thoughts’ should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your ‘prayers’ should be for forgiveness if you do nothing – again,” Murphy tweeted on Wednesday evening.
Murphy drew criticism from users on Twitter who said his remarks were “offensive” and demeaning toward religious people.
The Connecticut lawmaker also expressed his condolences for the victims and offered up his prayers for a solution to the problem of gun violence in a statement on Wednesday.
“My heart aches for the people of San Bernardino. I cannot express the profound sadness I feel each time a new community grieves and endures the same pain that brought Newtown to its knees three years ago this month,” Murphy said in the statement, referring to the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“As we await the facts from the chaos on the ground, I can only pray that America’s leaders will do something — anything — that prevents more communities from knowing this sorrow.”
Eyewitness reports that the gunmen were equipped with long-barrel weapons and wearing masks and tactical gear in the shooting at San Bernardino’s Inland Regional Center.
“At the minimum we have a domestic terrorism-type situation that occurred here,” San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said in a press conference Wednesday. “They came prepared to do what they did and they were on a mission.”
Authorities later identified two suspects, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, who were killed in a shootout with police.
The incident comes days after a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo., that left three dead, including one police officer.
Democrats have expressed growing frustration that Congress is not taking actions on gun control in response to frequent mass shootings in the United States.
Murphy represents Connecticut, where 20 school children and six adults were killed in the Newtown shooting. He is a vocal critic of congressional inaction on gun violence.
Updated Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m.
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