Theresa May Sums Up A Sobering Reality About U.S. Gun Laws
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday expressed doubt that deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history will prompt America to act on gun reform.
“I think it’s up to America what gun laws they put in place,” she told ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.” “I think most people would look at this and assume that people in America would be so shocked by this attack that they would want to take some action.”
But others, she added, “will take a different view.”
She’s not wrong. Gun stocks soared in the hours after Stephen Paddock on Sunday night shot and killed at least 58 people and wounded over 500 others at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Republicans leaders in Congress offered “thoughts and prayers” for the victims but no concrete calls to action. President Donald Trump didn’t mention guns at all in his responses to the shooting. The National Rifle Association spent more than $30 million to help Trump win the election.
House Republicans have also been working to advance SHARE Act, a bill that would make it easier for people to buy gun silencers without a background check, according to John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
Some Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, were incredulous at the lack of action.
“The thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has been a gun control advocate since the Sandy Hook massacre shook his state in 2012, said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.”
It’s not just Congress that’s split on gun control. A June HuffPost/YouGov poll found that Democrats were far more likely to consider gun violence a serious issue and to support stricter gun laws.
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VIDEO: Rapid fire from shooter(s) in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/jgzCTQRUZP
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) October 2, 2017
HORRIFIC SCENE: Do not let this be called anything else but DOMESTIC TERRORISM. AP reports 2dead 13critical & dozens injured. #MandalayBay pic.twitter.com/q7faKkCPpN
— Eduardo Samaniego (@EduSamani) October 2, 2017
EYEWITNESS: Chilling footage of moment active shooter opened fire on concert goers near Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/7OfAwg0ReO
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) October 2, 2017
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.