Trump slams Las Vegas shooting as 'act of pure evil'

US President Donald Trump has denounced the mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival as "an act of pure evil," saying Americans are "joining together in sadness, shock and grief." In brief remarks from the White House on Monday, Trump praised first responders, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, "for their courageous efforts." The president also said he would visit Las Vegas on Wednesday. The gun attack on the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino killed at least 58 people and injured more than 500 others. Police said the suspect, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock from Mesquite, shot himself to death. "Last night a gunman opened fire on a large crowd at a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. He brutally murdered more than 50 people and was an act of pure evil," Trump said in his televised address. "We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss," he said of those who lost loved ones in the incident. The president said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security were working with local authorities on the investigation. Trump also called for unity in the aftermath of the shooting, the largest in US history. "Our unity cannot be shattered by evil, our bonds cannot be broken by violence." "In times such as these I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness," he said. "The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible de Trump had been briefed earlier in the morning on the shooting and offered, in a tweet, his “warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the massacre. Shortly after the US president delivered his statement, the White House released a proclamation ordering flags be flown at half-staff on federal buildings.

Trump rejects gun control debate in wake of Las Vegas massacre

US President Donald Trump has ruled out a political debate on gun control in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 59 dead and more than 500 others injured. Asked during his return from touring hurricane damage in Puerto Rico whether such a debate would take place in the future, Trump responded, “Perhaps that will come,” but stressed it was “not for now.” "Look we have a tragedy. What happened in Las Vegas is in many ways a miracle. The police department has done such an incredible job. We'll be talking about gun laws as time goes by,” Trump said. The massacre in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, has once again thrust the bitter debate over gun control back to the center of politics in Washington. Gun control activists and some congressional Democrats say now is the time to discuss restrictions on firearms such as semi-automatic rifles as well as high-capacity magazines. Police found a total of 42 guns in the hotel room and house of 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, who rained down a barrage of bullets from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel towards an open-air concert Sunday night. At least one of the rifles found in the hotel suite was outfitted with a “bump stock,” a legal attachment that allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire at the same rate as a fully automatic firearm.

Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are focused on convincing Trump to break with his party and pressure Republicans to take action on gun control. “None of this matters if we can’t get Republicans to do something,” one senior Democratic aide told The Hill. Republicans, however, accuse their Democratic colleagues of politicizing a national tragedy with some conservatives warning that Trump would face a political disaster if he moved left on the issue. Trump has been an outspoken ally to the gun lobby both as a candidate and president. In April, he told the National Rifle Association convention that they had a "true friend and champion in the White House." More than 100,000 people are shot each year in the US at a total cost of $45 billion, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs hours after the shooting in Las Vegas. Presstv