In the wake of Sunday’s church shooting in Texas, former President Obama weighed in not only by expressing his grief but also by calling for gun control.
“We grieve with all the families in Sutherland Springs harmed by this act of hatred, and we’ll stand with the survivors as they recover,” Obama said on Twitter. “May God also grant all of us the wisdom to ask what concrete steps we can take to reduce the violence and weaponry in our midst.”
We grieve with all the families in Sutherland Springs harmed by this act of hatred, and we’ll stand with the survivors as they recover...
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 6, 2017
May God also grant all of us the wisdom to ask what concrete steps we can take to reduce the violence and weaponry in our midst.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 6, 2017
While he did not go into further detail it was reminiscent of the many times he made similar calls for tougher gun laws when responding to shootings during his presidency.
President Trump on the other hand said the mass shooting is not about guns but mental health.
"Mental health is your problem here," Trump said during a press conference in Tokyo. "This isn't a guns situation. … This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It's a very, very sad event."
The president also said that "based on preliminary reports" the shooter, identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, was "a very deranged individual."
On Twitter, the president hoped “God [will] be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas.”
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
He also said Americans will “never ever leave” the side of the wounded and families of the victims.
...Americans do what we do best: we pull together. We join hands. We lock arms and through the tears and the sadness, we stand strong... pic.twitter.com/qkCPgtKGkA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2017