Hillary Clinton On Las Vegas Shooting: 'We Must Stand Up To The NRA'

Jenna Amatulli
Updated

Hillary Clinton on Monday expressed her grief over the lives lost in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and tweeted a call to fight efforts by the National Rifle Association to loosen the nation’s gun laws.

At least 58 people were killed and over 500 have been sent to nearby hospitals after a gunman opened fire during the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas late Sunday night.

The former secretary of state and unsuccessful 2016 presidential candidate sent out several tweets about the “cold-blooded massacre,” and told followers that it was time for action, saying that “our grief isn’t enough.”

“The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get,” she said.

Clinton referred to the push by the NRAssociation and Republican allies in the House for a bill that would make it easier to purchase silencers. Currently, there’s a waiting period for buying silencers that can be as much as nine months or more. Also, buyers must submit fingerprints when purchasing silencers.

“We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again,” Clinton said.

Many eyewitnesses to the Las Vegas shooting recounted the horrifying sounds of gunfire that caused them to drop to the ground or flee. As Clinton noted, the death toll could have been higher had the gunman been using a silencer.

President Donald Trump, in his initial reaction to the shooting, sent out one tweet offering his sympathy for victims. Late Monday morning, speaking from the White House, Trump condemned the attack as “as act of pure evil,” praised first responders at the scene, called for national unity and reiterated his condolences for the shooting victims and their relatives. But he made no call for any sort of legislative response.

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People hug and cry outside the Thomas & Mack Center after a mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
People hug and cry outside the Thomas & Mack Center after a mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Oct. 2, 2017, in Las Vegas.
A cowboy hat lies in the street.
A cowboy hat lies in the street.
Las Vegas police search for the gunman while protecting fleeing fans.
Las Vegas police search for the gunman while protecting fleeing fans.
Fans run from the Route 91 Harvest festival after a gunman opened fire.
Fans run from the Route 91 Harvest festival after a gunman opened fire.
Others dive for cover.
Others dive for cover.
Some fans drop to the ground.
Some fans drop to the ground.
People run from the Route 91 Harvest festival.
People run from the Route 91 Harvest festival.
People scramble for cover.
People scramble for cover.
A man in a wheelchair is helped away.
A man in a wheelchair is helped away.
People run for cover. 
People run for cover. 
A person takes cover amid the shooting. 
A person takes cover amid the shooting. 
 A person runs barefoot from the shooting. 
 A person runs barefoot from the shooting. 
Police officers stop a man who drove down Tropicana Avenue near Las Vegas Boulevard, which had been closed.
Police officers stop a man who drove down Tropicana Avenue near Las Vegas Boulevard, which had been closed.
A pair of cowboy boots lies in the street outside the concert venue.
A pair of cowboy boots lies in the street outside the concert venue.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.