News has issue well covered

IT’S THE talk of the nation.

The Daily News’ provocative front page Thursday generated an intense reaction from lawmakers and readers on both sides of the gun-control debate.

“Wow,” a journalist at the Washington Post wrote on his blog when he saw the front page headline: “God isn’t fixing this.”

The headline ran alongside social media posts from several pro-NRA politicians who responded to Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., with prayers — not policy.

“Never thought I’d say this, but well said #NYDailyNews,” wrote a Twitter follower named Weijia.

“It tells the truth,” wrote Christof Pierson when “Fox & Friends” tweeted out the front page and asked, “What do you think of this?”

By noon Thursday, The News’ cover had been viewed more than 11 million times on Facebook and shared by nearly 74,000 people.

More than 2 million Twitter users viewed the cover when it was released on social media and roughly 22,000 retweeted it. Some reacted with outrage — claiming the front page was an insult to the power of prayer.

“This @NYDailyNews cover is deplorable. Genuine thoughts and prayers are not political fodder,” Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Thursday.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki — who, like Paul, is a longshot for the GOP presidential nomination — also said he was “disgusted” by the message and called it “Trump-like in its absurdity.” The News’ editor-in-chief responded in a statement Thursday.

“The Daily News’ front page is not, in any way, shape or form, condemning prayer or religion,” said Jim Rich.

“Anyone suggesting otherwise is — either intentionally or unintentionally — misconstruing the point, which is that most GOP politicians have offered nothing but empty platitudes and angry rhetoric in response to the ongoing plague of gun violence in our country.”