Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) may only be an eye doctor but he didn’t hesitate in offering a medical diagnoses for the man that allegedly shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) Saturday.

“I looked at some of the writings of this young man,” Paul told Fox News’ Bret Baier Sunday.

“From a medical point of view, there is a lot to suggest paranoid schizophrenia, that this man was a really sick individual,” he said of Jared Loughner, the man suspected of shooting Giffords.

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“Absolutely we need to condemn the violence. And absolutely we need to have our prayers and our thoughts with those who suffered from this violence,” he added.

Paul, a self-certified ophthalmologist, didn’t reveal which qualifications allowed him to make the diagnosis.

As a darling of the tea party and a political ally of Fox News’ Sarah Palin, Paul may have reason to deemphasize any connections between Loughner and conservative ideology.

Giffords was on Palin’s so-called hit list of Democratic districts being “targeted” for defeat.

When Palin’s name was mentioned at a vigil for Giffords Saturday, Fox News quickly cut away.

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Paul also said Sunday that calls for more restrictive gun laws shouldn’t play a part in the tragedy.

“I don’t think that plays into this at all. I think they’re unrelated,” he said. “This is probably about a very sick individual and what should be done for that person.”

“But the weapons don’t kill people, it’s the individual that kills — that killed these people.”

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This video is from Fox News’ Fox News Sunday, broadcast Jan. 9, 2010.



