Ryan: Those Critical Of Church Shooting Response ‘Don’t Understand’ Faith

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 02: Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., center, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, GOP leaders and members of the committee, conduct a news conference in Longworth Building to unveil the Republicans' tax reform plan on November 2, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 02: Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., center, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, GOP leaders and members of the committee, conduct a news conference in Longwort... UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 02: Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., center, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, GOP leaders and members of the committee, conduct a news conference in Longworth Building to unveil the Republicans' tax reform plan on November 2, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

After Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) asked for prayers for the victims of the mass shooting at a church in Texas on Sunday in a tweet, he was met with widespread criticism from what he called the “secular left,” who claimed the latest mass shooting was Republicans’ fault for not budging on gun control policy.

When asked about the backlash on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show, Ryan said the criticism was “disappointing” and said “people who do not have faith don’t understand faith,” and claiming the “secular left” is responsible for some of the “disunity” in the U.S.

“It is the right thing to do in moments like this because, you know what? Prayer works,” he said. “And I know you believe that and I believe that and when you hear the secular left doing this think, no wonder you have so much polarization and disunity in this country when people think like that.”

He also said some were trying to “exploit a tragedy to infringe on law abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights” and said the fact that the shooter in Texas was able to get a gun was “a pretty clear cut case”: a convicted domestic abuser should not have been able to buy a gun.

“The law is on the books to prevent a person like this form getting a gun and that didn’t happen and we’ve got to get to the bottom of why that didn’t happen,” he said. “And yes, there are a lot of questions the Air Force has to answer on that.”

Speaking about another gun issue, Ryan also said the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) is still reviewing whether the sale of bump stocks is legal. Bump stocks are devices that make a semi-automatic weapon operate like an automatic weapon.

There was bipartisan outcry over the legality of the devices when a gunman used them to shoot and kill more than 50 people in Las Vegas just weeks ago. Republicans, including President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), have dismissed any attempts to talk about gun control in the wake of the latest mass shooting that left 26 people dead in Texas, saying it’s too early to talk about politics.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for erik_t erik_t says:

    It’s easy to forget, in this time of Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump and Michael Flynn, how fucking loathsome a person Paul Ryan is.

    I don’t understand faith because I think people who were at church praying shouldn’t get gunned down, fuck off.

  2. Faith?
    If there were a God, Ryan would have been smitted, smotted, smutted or whatever a long time ago.

  3. Avatar for jtx jtx says:

    Prayer works if there is an appropriate response to the answer. It is a two way street. He wants to leave it God’s hand and walk away.

  4. “It is the right thing to do in moments like this because, you know what? Prayer works,” he said.

    After Columbine, and Sandy Hook, and Virginia Tech, and Las Vegas, a lot of people prayed there would never again be gun massacres in our country.
    
    How did all that praying work out, Paul?
    
    ***".........Prayer works,” he said.***
  5. Avatar for fess fess says:

    “It is the right thing to do in moments like this because, you know what? Prayer works,”

    So, those people were praying that they’d be massacred Sunday morning? Wait, they were praying they’d go to heaven some day and their prayers were answered by nut job with an arsenal right then and there. That must be it.

    God’s reply: :cold_sweat:

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

231 more replies

Participants

Avatar for josephebacon Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for meri Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for inversion Avatar for sniffit Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for sonsofares Avatar for 26degreesrising Avatar for cd Avatar for callmelefty Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for tena Avatar for jinnj Avatar for clauscph Avatar for tsp Avatar for rickjones Avatar for eddycollins Avatar for lizzymom Avatar for thinski Avatar for erik_t Avatar for gromilini

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: