NEW YORK — Ringo Starr, who spreads a message of peace and love every year on his birthday in July, says he wants that message to hit home even harder this year in the wake of Sunday’s Orlando shootings.

Starr said in an interview Monday that he doesn’t understand the attack that left 49 victims dead and more than 50 hurt.

Ringo Starr is on tour with his All-Starr band, wrapping on July 2 in Los Angeles. He turns 76 on July 7. The Associated Press/Scott Gries

“I don’t understand that mindset that you could decide to injure and kill a lot of innocent people. I’m really not a supporter of wars either, but you can understand there’s two sides having a go at each other. But this is so random,” Starr said.

“It’s a difficult situation because it just happens,” he said. “Some guy – so far it’s always some guy isn’t it, not some girl – gets up in the morning and maybe is mad, maybe is angry – we don’t know, I don’t know – and decides to cause a lot of hurt, you know. It’s sad.”

Starr says that’s why his message of peace and love is so important. At noon on July 7 – his 76th birthday – the former Beatle is asking everyone to take a moment to ask for peace and love.

He’s been holding the event since 2008 and has celebrated in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tennessee, Hamburg, Germany and other places. The idea started when someone asked Starr what he wanted for his birthday.

“And out of the blue I thought, ‘You know what would be great if everybody at noon on the 7th of July went ‘peace and love,'” he recalled.

“Wherever you are – on the bus, down the mine, wherever – you could just go ‘peace and love.’ That would be … a great gift to me.”

Starr is currently on a U.S. tour with his All-Starr band, which wraps on July 2 in Los Angeles.

Send questions/comments to the editors.