Las Vegas shooting: 59 killed, Trump sticks to sombre script, refuses to join guns debate

Washington: President Donald Trump stuck to a sombre script Monday after at least 59 people were shot dead in Las Vegas, condemning the largest mass shooting in modern US history as an “act of pure evil” and declaring the nation would unite behind the survivors. Trump is slated to visit Puerto Rico Tuesday to survey devastation from Hurricane Maria, before going to Las Vegas Wednesday to meet with families of the dead.mobAds “Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence,” the president said. Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, who responded to mass shootings by calling for stricter gun control measures, Trump made no mention of firearms restrictions.fifthMAds Sanders repeatedly rebuffed questions about whether laws need to be stricter, saying the day after the mass shooting was not the “time and place for a political debate.” But the familiar discourse did ignite Monday, once again breaking along party lines.sixthMAds Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said it was time for Congress to end the inaction that followed other major shootings, including the one in Orlando and the 2012 school shooting in his home state. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said he would not participate in a moment of silence for those lost because it “becomes an excuse for inaction.” Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in an assassination attempt six years ago, appeared at the Capitol and said she knew “this feeling of heartbreak and horror too well.” She called for Congress to pass stricter gun control laws, turning to the Capitol building, raising her fist and saying, “The nation is counting on you.” But Republicans largely avoided the subject.