Mid-Missouri lawmakers react to Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
UPDATE: Senator Claire McCaskill said in a statement obtained by ABC 17 News that “This is an unspeakable tragedy. It’s time for the NRA to understand that America can support the 2nd Amendment and gun safety at the same time.”
ORIGINAL STORY: The country’s latest mass shooting, and reported anti-Semitic motivations, have drawn a powerful and emotional reaction from people across the nation.
Mid-Missouri lawmakers and election candidates are among those speaking out against the tragedy.
Governor Mike Parson called it a “hateful and cowardly attack” on Twitter earlier Saturday afternoon.
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/GovParsonMO/status/1056254835769729025″,”author_name”:”Governor Mike Parson”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/GovParsonMO”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;This morning, Pittsburgh was the scene of a hateful and cowardly attack on a synagogue where Americans were gathered to worship. We pray for the victims, their families, the responders, and all who come together to support healing and unity. &#lt;a href=”https://t.co/j5agw79ZX7″&#gt;https://t.co/j5agw79ZX7&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/p&#gt;– Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/GovParsonMO/status/1056254835769729025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;October 27, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
Authorities said the suspected gunman, Robert Bowers, 46, made anti-semitic statements during the shooting and on social media.
Attorney General and Senate candidate Josh Hawley decried the attack “on defenseless worshippers observing the Sabbath.” He called for “swift justice” in a tweet.
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1056213435103563776″,”author_name”:”Josh Hawley”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/HawleyMO”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;Terrible tragedy at Pittsburgh synagogue this morning – attack on defenseless worshippers observing the Sabbath. Praying for the victims & the brave officers wounded. Perpetrator must be brought to swift justice&#lt;/p&#gt;– Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1056213435103563776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;October 27, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
District 50 state representative Sarah Walsh tweeted that the news was “heartbreaking.”
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/SaraForMissouri/status/1056219290960084994″,”author_name”:”Sara Walsh”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/SaraForMissouri”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;Heartbreaking news from Pittsburgh. Lifting up the victims and their families in our prayers.&#lt;/p&#gt;– Sara Walsh (@SaraForMissouri) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/SaraForMissouri/status/1056219290960084994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;October 27, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
Representative Vicky Hartzler said she was “horrified and sickened by the hateful attack on innocent worshippers.”
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/RepHartzler/status/1056301352823992320″,”author_name”:”Rep. Vicky Hartzler”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/RepHartzler”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;Horrified and sickened by the hateful attack on innocent worshippers at Tree of Life Synagogue today in Pittsburg, PA. This violence has no place in our society. My prayers are with the victims, their families, & the first responders. &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorshipWithoutFear?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;#WorshipWithoutFear&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/p&#gt;– Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/RepHartzler/status/1056301352823992320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;October 27, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
ABC 17 News has reached out to Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt to see if they had a statement about the shooting.
