The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Trump refuses to join gun debate.
President Donald Trump stuck to a somber script Monday after at least 58 people were shot dead in Las Vegas, condemning the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history as an “act of pure evil” and declaring the nation would unite behind the survivors. He refused to get into a new debate over gun control.
Faced with the sad and familiar ritual of a president offering consolation after horrific violence, Trump spoke slowly and carefully from the White House Diplomatic Room, focusing not on the identity or possible motive of the shooter but on the nation’s efforts to heal.
“Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence,” the president said. “We call upon the bonds that unite us: our faith, our family, and our shared values. We call upon the bonds of citizenship, the ties of community, and the comfort of our common humanity.”
Trump spoke hours after a gunman on the 32nd floor of a Vegas Strip casino opened fire on people at an outdoor country music festival below. The gunman, 64-yearold Stephen Craig Paddock, killed at least 58 people as tens of thousands of concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives. More than 500 people were hurt.
In a measured statement that was revised by aides until moments before he spoke, Trump did not describe the gunman in any way or suggest what might have been behind his actions. He praised the first responders who he said prevented further loss of life and said he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday. He offered condolences to the families of those killed, saying, “We cannot fathom their pain. We cannot imagine their loss.”
Trump, who owns a hotel in Las Vegas, told associates that he feels deep ties to the city. He said in public that his visit would be “a very, very sad moment for me ... for everybody no matter where you are, no matter what your thought process.”
The president was informed of the shooting early Monday by chief of staff John Kelly, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He received periodic briefings from Kelly and homeland security adviser Tom Bossert while also monitoring the coverage on cable news. On Twitter, he avoided the kind of inflammatory statements he has issued after some previous tragedies, such as last year’s Orlando nightclub shooting, instead offering “warmest condolences” to victims and their families.
“There’s a difference between being a candidate and being the president,” Sanders said when asked to explain the change in tone.
The weight of the violence hung heavy at the White House. Conversations were hushed throughout the West Wing, and Sanders choked up during the press briefing as she read news accounts of heroism displayed at the scene.
Like presidents before him, Trump marked the events by ordering the American flags at all public buildings across the nation flown at half-staff, and he observed a moment of silence on the White House lawn. Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, who responded to mass shootings by calling for stricter gun control measures, Trump made no mention of firearms restrictions.
Sanders repeatedly rebuffed questions about whether laws need to be stricter, saying the day after the mass shooting was not the “time and place for a political debate.”
But the familiar discourse did ignite Monday, once again breaking along party lines.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said it was time for Congress to end the inaction that followed other major shootings, including the one in Orlando and the 2012 school shooting in his home state. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for the creation of a committee on gun violence and increased background checks. Rep. Seth Moulton, DMass., said he would not participate in a moment of silence for those lost because it “becomes an excuse for inaction.”