Republicans generally refused to offer up any solutions to address gun control and mental health reforms while Democrats insisted on stronger laws

Two journalists were shot and killed on Wednesday, during a live broadcast in Roanoke, Virginia. Another woman was wounded.

Virginia shooting sparks renewed calls for gun control but old obstacles remain Read more

The 2016 presidential candidates quickly offered their condolences. But on the question of what the shooting said about the need for reform on gun control and mental health, they followed predictable party lines.

Democrats called for stricter laws to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in America. Republicans insisted that no such laws were needed.

Hillary Clinton

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hillary Clinton speaks in Iowa on Wednesday.

Clinton, the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, told reporters in Ankeny, Iowa, on Wednesday that gun control was a major issue and she would “take it on”.

What she said about the Virginia shooting: “I was so stricken to think that these two young people doing the same work that you guys do every single day would be murdered on live television. And I will extend my condolences and sympathies to their families and to their co-workers and pray for the woman, who last I checked was still in critical condition.” (On Thursday, Vicki Gardner was said to be improving.)

What she said about gun rights and mental health reform: “I want to reiterate how important it is we not let yet another terrible incident go by without trying to do something more to prevent this incredible killing that is stalking our country, and we’ve had so many terrible instances of it in the last two years. But it happens every day. Intentional, unintentional, murder, suicide.

“It happens every day and there is so much evidence that if guns were not so readily available, if we had universal background checks, if we could just put some time out between the person that’s upset because he got fired or the domestic abuse or whatever other motivation may be working on someone who does this, that maybe we could prevent this kind of carnage.

“I hope that in addition to expressing sympathy for those directly affected, that this is maybe for the media, for the public, for elected officials, for every American, what it hopefully, finally will take to finally act.”

What she proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: “We have got to do something about gun violence in America and I will take it on. There are many people who face it and know it but then turn away because it’s hard. It’s a very political, difficult issue in America. But I believe we are smart enough, we are compassionate enough to balance the legitimate second amendment rights with preventive measures and control measures so that whatever motivated this murderer who eventually took his own life, we will not see more deaths. Needless, senseless deaths.”

Donald Trump

On Thursday afternoon, Trump repeated his contention that the Virginia shooting was “about mental instability”. In a phone interview with CNN on Wednesday, he had said mental health, not gun control, was the issue at play.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “In the old days, they had mental institutions for people like this because he was really, definitely borderline and definitely would have been and should have been institutionalized. At some point somebody should have seen that, people close to him should have seen it … This is really a sick person.”

He snuck up on them. Whether it was a gun or a knife or whatever it would have been, it would have been something Donald Trump

What he said about gun rights: “This isn’t a gun problem, it’s a mental problem. And you know, you have cases where [you] had the veterans, had the guys that were shot recently [in Chattanooga, Tennessee], if they had weapons they might have been able to save themselves, they would have been. They were all heroes, they were all tremendous military men and they had absolutely no defense.

“And frankly, a case like this [in Virginia], he snuck up on them. Whether it was a gun or a knife or whatever it would have been, it would have been something.

“But you’re not going to get rid of all guns. I know one thing, if you tried to do it, the bad guys would have them, to use an expression. And the good folks would abide by the law and it would be hopeless. It would be a hopeless situation for them. And I think it’s a big mistake. I’m a very much second-amendment person … I know the arguments both ways but I’m very much into the second amendment. You need protection.”

What he said about mental health reform: “Mental illness is just a massive problem and as you know, because of the cutbacks, and you can say it in New York state, you know very well in New York state and so many other places they’ve released a lot of the people that are pretty ill that really should be hospitalized because they don’t have the money to take care of them. And so they walk the streets and they’re on the streets and sometimes they’re in the workplace and in the old days, they had mental institutions for people like this …

“But so many people are being released now because they don’t have any money so they’re walking in the streets and of all our cities and of all our places. It’s becoming another very dangerous situation and it’s one of many problems our country has.”

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: Trump did not propose any solutions or actions on either issue.

Scott Walker

Campaigning in South Carolina on Wednesday, Walker focused only on prayers for the victims and their families.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “We just have far too many of these things to stop and think about but earlier today we had another horrible thing. We had a TV reporter and a cameraman shot and killed live while they were doing an interview on television in Virginia. It’s just one of those things, where I think it’s worth pausing for a moment to praying for the family and friends and folks that they work with.”

What he said about gun rights/mental health reform: Walker did not comment on either.

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: Walker did not propose any solutions or actions, saying only the event was “just one of these awful things that we don’t quite understand”.

Jeb Bush

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeb Bush responds to the Virginia shooting.

Responding to a question about the shooting in Florida on Wednesday , Bush only briefly touched on the shooting as a tragic incident. Gun control advocates took issue with his response, in which Bush stopped mid-sentence for a photo with a supporter.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “It’s a tragedy. I don’t have enough details to determine what the reason for all this was. I can’t comment on that. But it’s clearly a tragedy when you have, in a free society, you have this kind of violence take place.”

What he said about gun rights/mental health reform: Bush did not comment on either.

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: He did not propose any solutions or actions.

Marco Rubio

Speaking in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Rubio briefly addressed the shooting but ruled out any new gun laws.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “We have a societal problem in our country. It reminds us of the most important job any of us will ever have … the job of a mother, a father or a parent.”

What he said about gun rights and mental health reform: “What law in the world could have prevented him from killing them, whether it was with a gun or a knife or a bomb? What has happened to us as a society that we now devalue life to such a level? What has happened in our society that people have become so violent? That’s the fundamental question we need to confront.”

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: He did not propose any solutions or actions, saying this was a “societal problem”.

Rand Paul

After a rally in Spokane, Washington, on Wednesday, Paul spoke about the incident briefly, according to the Washington Post.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: Paul said he’d only just heard the news and that it was “really sad”, and added: “I feel for those who are out there, sometimes in dangerous parts of the city. It is terrible that happened.”

What he said about gun rights and mental health reform: “The thing that seems to be associated with all of this is mental illness. I don’t know who this person was, or all the details, but that seems to be the common theme.”

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: He did not offer any solutions.

Carly Fiorina

In an interview with KTIV on Wednesday, Fiorina said she was tired of Democrats using shootings as a way to push their gun control agenda.

What she said about the Virginia shooting: “For someone to do this on live television, it really makes you wonder what the world’s coming to, honestly.”

What she said about gun rights and mental health reform: “I’m so disappointed when Democrats every time one of these tragedies occurs, they politicize it for an agenda around gun control … But it’s also true that we find out every time one of these happens, that someone knew the perpetrator was in trouble.”

What she proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: “What I would hope is that these tragedies, after an appropriate period of mourning, would be a period of introspection for how should we invest for detecting mental health issues like this person had.”

Ben Carson

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, distanced himself from the discussion surrounding the need for gun control during an interview with CNN on Wednesday.

People are the problem, not so much guns Ben Carson

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “It makes me question what’s happening to us as people.”

What he said about gun rights/mental health reform: “People are the problem, not so much guns.”

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: “Anything we’re going to do has to be done with respect to the second amendment.”

Chris Christie

During a Thursday interview on CBS, the New Jersey governor said the US already had laws in place and just needed to enforce them better.



What he said about the Virginia shooting: “It’s just an awful tragedy. My heart goes out to those folks who suffered that loss. It’s a terrible thing. Most Americans are tired – tired of violence, tired of lawlessness. They want someone to do something about it.”

What he said about gun rights and mental health reform: “The fact is that we need to have more information about people’s mental health background. But we don’t need new laws in this country to be able to do that. We have laws that exist now. We just need to enforce the ones we do have.”

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: He did not put forward any solutions. “All you hear now is let’s have new laws, new laws, when we don’t enforce the laws we have,” he said. “That’s for members of Congress to feel useful. Quite frankly, that’s not what we need to do.”

Martin O’Malley

Father of Virginia TV shooting victim: I'll do 'whatever it takes' to reform gun laws Read more

In New Hampshire on Wednesday, the former Democratic governor of Maryland condemned the state of gun violence in America and urged action to reduce it.

What he said about the Virginia shooting: “There has been way too much violence in our country and far, far too much of it is gun-related violence. My heart goes out now to all of the families that have been affected by this horrible, horrible tragedy. Too much violence, too many deaths from guns in our country, and we need to do better as a nation.”

What he said about gun rights and mental health reform: Following the fatal shooting of two women at a movie theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana, in July, O’Malley wrote an op-ed calling on Congress to act on gun control. O’Malley has the strongest record on guns among the Democratic presidential field: as governor of Maryland, he signed into law a comprehensive package of gun safety measures.

What he proposed to do about gun control and/or mental health reform: O’Malley has proposed expanding background checks to close the so-called “gun show” loophole and prohibit the sale of guns by unlicensed private dealers; banning the sale of assault weapons; and creating a national gun registry so law enforcement can track down criminals.

Other presidential candidates expressed their condolences on Twitter but did not comment beyond that.

“I am saddened by the senseless deaths of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. Jane and I have their families and friends in our thoughts.”

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the three victims of this senseless tragedy, as well as to their families and friends. #WDBJ”

“All of our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and loved ones of @WDBJ7’s Alison and Adam.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and #WDBJ7. Absolutely heartbreaking.”

“Janet & I are heartbroken by the deaths of @WDBJ7 journalists Alison Parker & Adam Ward. Praying for everyone affected by this tragedy.”

“My thoughts & prayers go out to Roanoke & the families and friends of the victims of this senseless violent act.”