In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history , Democratic members of Congress are clamoring for immediate changes to gun control laws.
Some notable Democrats in Congress are going so far as to blame their colleagues' inaction for the shooting and accusing the gun rights lobby of making money off the attack, as well as demanding changes to gun laws — changes which almost certainly will not be implemented as long as Republicans control Congress.
Republicans did not jump to respond, preferring to offer their thoughts and prayers to the victims and first responders.
It's a cycle we've seen repeated after nearly every recent mass shooting in the United States since the 2012 massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. And the politics, especially on the left, only seem to get more heated more quickly with each shooting.
A week after the now-second-deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history — at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June 2016 — House Democrats walked out of a moment of silence held for the victims. Then they staged a 26-hour sit-in on the House floor to protest the Republican majority's decision not to vote on changes to gun laws.
It all ended with a whimper. Republican leaders never did bring up bills for a vote. Senate Democrats launched a 15-hour filibuster. They got four votes on four popular gun-control measures, all of which failed.
This time Democrats have responded even more sharply. Senator Chris Murphy(D-Conn.) said that “It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference,” he said.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Twitter that "I’m heartsick for people in Nevada & across the country who woke up to this news & are worried that their family & friends are ok," and added that "Thoughts & prayers are NOT enough. Not when more moms & dads will bury kids this week, & more sons & daughters will grow up without parents."