A Republican state senator from Florida believes that only “thoughts and prayers” can put an end to mass shootings in the United States.
During a Saturday debate in Tallahassee, State Senator Kelli Stargel said:
When we say ‘thoughts and prayers,’ it’s frowned upon. And I take real offense at that because thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that’s gonna stop the evil from within the individual who is taking up their arms to do this kind of a massacre.
The Lakeland area Republican earlier appeared to dismiss the entire conceptual framework behind gun control efforts, slamming the mentality of those who would ban offending products in the aftermath of tragedy.
Stargel said, “If I thought for one moment that if we banned assault weapons then all of these tragedies would end, you would have me, I would be with you. But are we going to ban fertilizer? Which is what they used in the Oklahoma bombing. Are we going to ban pressure cookers? Which is what they used in the Boston massacre?”
Stargel continued, “Are we going to ban the multiple handguns that were used in other assaults? Are we going to ban the sawed-off shotguns that were used in Colombine? It’s not the weapon, its the evil within.”
The state senator and her colleagues were debating a measure that would have banned the sale of assault-style weapons in the Sunshine State. According to the Tampa Bay Times, that measure narrowly failed by a vote of 21-17.
As noted by Votesmart.org, Stargel currently has an A+ rating from the NRA.
[image via screengrab/Political Food For Thought; video courtesy IBTimes]
