A politician in the Texan House of Representatives has urged people to begin "praying for protection" and oppose “so-called gun-control solutions” hours after a mass shooting shook his state.
Republican Matt Schaefer took to social media on Saturday, asking people to say “YES to God, and NO to more government intrusions”.
The post and latest mass shooting in Texas came less than 24 hours ahead of a loosening of firearm restrictions in the state.
“As an elected official with a vote in Austin, let me tell you what I am NOT going to do. I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans,” Mr Schaefer posted on Facebook.
“None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent. I say NO to 'red flag' pre-crime laws.”
“What can we do? YES to praying for victims. YES to praying for protection. YES to praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent.
Mr Schaefer also wrote he felt “fathers not leaving their wives and children”, “discipline in the homes” and “giving every law-abiding single mom the right to carry a handgun” would better address the scourge of mass shootings than gun control legislation.
The death toll for Saturday’s shooting rose to seven, the local police chief confirmed Sunday, adding that it might have been far worse had the shooter not been stopped before entering a crowded movie theater.
The shooter has been identified as a local man named Seth Aaron Ator, aged 36.
It came after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in early August.
In a post to Twitter, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, a former Texas congressman, said the latest incident was “f***** up”.
He also said "thoughts and prayers" have "done nothing" to curtail mass shootings.
"A hundred killed daily in the United States of America. We're averaging about 300 mass shootings a year. No other country comes close," he told CNN.
"If we don't call it out for what it is, if we're not able to speak clearly, if we're not able to act decisively then we will continue to have this kind of bloodshed in America, and I cannot accept that.”
Hours after his “f***** up” tweet was posted, Mr O’Rourke’s presidential campaign announced it would sell t-shirts with the phrase on it.
All proceeds would go to gun control movements and charities, it said on Twitter.
