Ilhan Omar Blames NRA for Virginia Beach Shooting, NRA Responds

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is seen in the audience ahead of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Wash., on Feb. 5, 2019. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has responded to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) after she commented on the mass shooting in Virginia beach that killed 12 people, blaming the gun rights group for the “epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

“I am outraged and heartbroken. How much longer will we ignore the pain of our communities? We need to immediately confront the power of the NRA and end the epidemic of gun violence in this country,” Omar wrote hours after the mass shooting occurred.

Responding to her comment, NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch questioned the Democratic congresswoman how the group was related to the gunman’s alleged act.

“This was a heinous tragedy. Your remarks move me to ask: What do 5 million members of the NRA have to do with this man’s crime? Was this man a card-carrying member? His purchases were legal, whose fault is that? Does he bear any blame at all? Serious questions,” Loesch said.

The suspect gunman, who has been identified as city employee DeWayne Craddock, opened fire in Building Two, a municipal building, killing 12 people and leaving at least four others wounded. The horrific incident lasted about two hours, police said.

Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said during a news conference that Craddock had been a longtime public utility employee who was described as “disgruntled.” Authorities did not go into any more details into the attack or provide any motive.

“We have more questions than we really have answers,” he said.

Craddock, 40, was killed during gunfire with police after the mass shooting. He had no criminal record apart from a traffic infraction in 2013. A policeman was also wounded during the shooting but was saved by his bulletproof vest, reported Fox News.

Along with Loesch, Omar’s comments also attracted backlash from other people on social media.

“This woman is a propagandist - the NRA and its members had nothing to do with the VA Beach attack. IlhanMN political perspective is the equivalent of the ACLU in defending the 1st amendment being blamed for ANTIFA violence - it is that level of insane,” Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, president of The London Center for policy research, wrote.

“You are not ‘outraged’ nor are you ‘heartbroken.’ If you were you would not have said anything about the .NRA. You are using the tragic deaths of innocent people to forward your anti-American political goals,” author Montgomery Granger wrote.

This is not the first time Omar has blamed the group for gun violence. After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Omar took to Twitter to criticize the NRA, saying that they were the “true enemy.”

“Prayers and condolences won’t keep our kids safe, sensible GunLaws will. It’s time for you and Republicans to put the safety of Americans first and seek freedom from the NRA. They are the true enemy!” Omar wrote.