LAS VEGAS — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed his Senate colleagues' relationships to the National Rifle Association following the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday.

"All I can say is that it is deeply troubling to me go above and beyond politics that we have senate leadership which is more concerned about pleasing the NRA than listening to the vast majority of the American people, whether they're Republicans, Democrats, or independents," Sanders said at a 2020 campaign event in Las Vegas. "And I would hope very much that we can overcome the fear of the NRA and do what the American people want."

"I think all over the world people are looking at the United States and wondering what is going on. What is the mental health situation in America, where time after time after time, we're seeing indescribable horrors," he added.

Sanders, who was endorsed by the NRA at the beginning of his Senate career, reiterated his call for universal background checks, banning the sale of certain semi-automatic long rifles, and ending straw-man purchases.

A deadly shooting earlier in the day in which multiple people were reportedly killed are dozens of others were injured. Wounded victims are being treated at nearby hospitals. A law enforcement source told the Washington Examiner that police took 21-year-old Patrick Crusius into custody, but police have not officially confirmed the suspect's identity.

Sen. Cory Booker, another Democratic candidate for president, reacted to the shooting at the same Las Vegas event by calling for leadership willing to "stand up" to the NRA.