Fifty-eight people are dead and over 500 others are injured after an attacker in Las Vegas went on a shooting rampage from the Mandalay Bay Hotel toward a country music festival Sunday night. It is now the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, just 15 months after the Pulse night club shooting in Orlando.
A moment of silence will be held Monday afternoon for the victims, but at least one Democratic representative will not be recognizing it, as he sees it as yet another ineffective effort to address a growing problem.
As after #Orlando, I will NOT be joining my colleagues in a moment of silence on the House Floor that just becomes an excuse for inaction.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 2, 2017
“Now is not a moment for silence; it's a time for action," the Massachusetts congressman later added.
Why? Moulton's goal is to spur Congress to act on gun control. He tried the same scheme last year when he refused to acknowledge the moment of silence for the Pulse nightclub victims.
Shamefully, he asked House Speaker Paul Ryan how many Americans "have to die" before he initiates debate on the subject.
.@SpeakerRyan, how many Americans have to die before you do your job? Allow us to have a debate and a vote. You're letting America down.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 2, 2017
Moulton has the right to be emotional, as many Americans are today. Yet, he is throwing out unnecessary accusations. The only coward in this instance is the shooter, who killed himself after senselessly slaughtering dozens of innocent people.
Nevertheless, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urged Ryan to get to work as well.
.@SpeakerRyan, it’s time for action. Congress must create an Select Committee on Gun Violence. pic.twitter.com/s5yEqOnAXm
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) October 2, 2017
Hillary Clinton also used the Vegas shooting to forward a gun control agenda, tweeting that the NRA needs to be stopped.