Politics & Government
CT Sen. Murphy's Tweet On San Bernardino Shooting Riles Some Residents
Some people are slamming Murphy, an advocate for gun control, after he tweeted: 'Your prayers should be for forgiveness if you do nothing.'

By WENDY ANN MITCHELL (Patch Staff)
Just a few hours after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California claimed the lives of 14 and injured 17 more victims, Democratic Connecticut Christopher Murphy tweeted :
“Your “thoughts” should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your “prayers” should be for forgiveness if you do nothing - again.”
The Twitterverse responded en masse to Murphy’s “offensive” and “insensitive” remarks toward people of faith:
Nick Uva @nickuva: @ChrisMurphyCT Congressman, this is highly offensive. I can be outraged and still ask God to help the hurting. Please reconsider.
Theresa M. Meyer @TMeyerBornFree: @ChrisMurphyCT keep your moral superiority to yourself till we know what the actual FACTS are. You should be ashamed of yourself.
TracyJeffords: @ChrisMurphyCT: You don’t get to dictate people’s thoughts or what they pray for. You should apologize.
The Right Wing M: Now Democrats want to control your thoughts & prayers @ChrisMurphyCT
Wednesday’s shooting is the worst mass shooting since the Sandy Hook School shooting that claimed the lives of 26 students and educators. Since then, Sen. Murphy has been a very vocal critic of congressional inaction on gun violence, pushing toward common sense gun laws to prevent another tragedy.
Murphy wrote on his Facebook page that “thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
“My heart is aching today for San Bernardino because I know that they are enduring the same grief and profound sadness that brought Newtown to its knees three years ago this month. While we wait for facts to emerge from the chaos, I pray that America’s leaders will do something - anything at all - to stop this sickening, senseless violence. If our first responsibility as elected officials is to keep our constituents safe from harm, then not a single one of us in Washington can go back to our home states this weekend and claim that we’re doing our job. Thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
What do you think? Tell us in the comments or send your letter to the editor to wendy.mitchell@patch.com.
Related
- Police Enhance Patrols at Connecticut DDS Offices: Malloy
- One Dead, Police Search Continues After 14 Killed In California
Photo via Sen. Murphy’s Twitter
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