ORLANDO, Fla. – After more than 50 were killed and hundreds more were injured during a mass shooting in Las Vegas Monday, politicians are, as usual, in two camps. One group says lawmakers need to act by passing mental health and gun safety bills, the other says "not now."
Before the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history House GOP leaders had been moving forward with bills to ease regulations on gun silencers and allow those with concealed-carry permits to take their weapons to other states.
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Republicans have been upbeat about prospects for legislation as they control both the House and Senate and have an ally in the White House in President Donald Trump. But no votes on either bill were scheduled as of Monday.
Florida state Sen. Linda Stewart, whose district includes Orlando, made a renewed call for gun safety legislation after a lone shooter shot up concertgoers on the Vegas Strip.
Inside the gunman's hotel room, from which he fired down upon the crowd, authorities found a cache of weapons, including 10 rifles, Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
Based on initial reports, one of the rifles used was altered to function as an automatic weapon, a local official said. Among the weapons found were a .223 caliber and a .308 caliber.
At this point, investigators believe the firearms were purchased legally.
The shooter, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, shot himself before he could be arrested, police said. Investigators said they were able to find Paddock's 32nd-floor hotel room because gun smoke caused the hotel smoke detectors to go off.
Authorities searched Paddock's home in Mesquite on Monday and found 18 firearms, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Lambardo said.
"The Pulse nightclub shooting, in my district was last year and at the time it was the worst mass shooting in history," Stewart said in a statement. "Today, this distinction was replaced by the unheard of shooting by another single shooter with more than 10 weapons, of high caliber and designed to have the maximum ability to provoke death and injury to so many."
Last year, Stewart filed SB196, a gun safety bill, which never got a committee hearing. Stewart said she would try again this legislative session and will pressure her fellow senators for a "hearing, a workshop or any avenue to bring this up for public discussion."
When asked during a news conference about the lack of action after Pulse, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, “I'm not going to get into partisan politics. We’ll leave the political debate for another day.”
The League of Women Voters of Florida posted a statement to Facebook saying enough with the "thoughts and prayers."
"We do not elect our government officials for thoughts and prayers. We elect them to make law. We cannot continue to allow easy access to assault weapons in our country," post read. "We have seen the consequences of such access too many times. We honor the lives lost today with our unwavering commitment to protect all communities from gun violence."
During the daily press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the day after the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's history is not the time to renew a debate over gun control.
Sanders said there is a "time and place" for a debate but that is "not the place we're in at this moment."
She said President Donald Trump was focused on the victims and stressed that it was a "time to unite the country."
Trump's predecessor Barack Obama frequently used mass shootings to call for stricter gun control laws. Trump did not mention firearms during his remarks earlier Monday.
The Republican president has cast himself as a friend to firearms owners and the powerful National Rifle Association lobby.
In a tweet Monday, Trump offered "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!”
Later in the day, Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump are praying for those who have been lost and wounded. He said they are praying "for the entire nation to find unity and peace.
Several families who lost loved ones in the 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut took to social media Monday to express everything from empathy to anger following Sunday night's shooting in Las Vegas.
Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter Ana Grace was among the Sandy Hook victims, sent a series of tweets about the shooting and the conversations surrounding gun violence, including race and public outrage.
"As a mom who had to bury a child- I could care less about perp color," wrote Marquez-Greene. "But how come we never talk about angry White men w/guns? How come we only want to talk when it fits our own narrative? Please. Help mothers keep children safe from gunviolence."
Marquez-Greene also expressed anger and frustration with Congress.
"Every day, I am stunned by the level of trauma (direct or vicarious) congress is willing to make us suffer through," she wrote. "Their lack of courage and/or ability to take meaningful action on issues that most matter: healthcare, violence, climate, etc is outrageous."
Politicians in Rhode Island and New Jersey also expressed their frustration with lack of action.
Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. David Cicilline and Jim Langevin expressed their condolences and called on Congress to act.
Cicilline said every time there is a mass shooting, there's a moment of silence in Congress and everyone moves on.
"There are a number of really good proposals that can help reduce gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them," he said. "So far, Congress has not had the courage to actually enact that. I'm always hopeful that people will be persuaded that they can't any longer ignore this, but so far it hasn't happened."
New Jersey Democratic mayoral candidate Phil Murphy said that “now” is the time to discuss “sensible gun safety measures.” Murphy has said he backs legislation vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie to ban .50-caliber weapons and require so-called smart guns to be sold in the state.
The morning after the deadly mass shooting, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords raised her fist at the Capitol and said "The nation is counting on you.”
Giffords, who was grievously wounded in 2011, and her husband Mark Kelly said the nation's thoughts and prayers are not enough and Congress must pass legislation to keep deadly weapons out of the wrong hands.
Kelly and Giffords had planned to campaign for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam, but instead they went to the Capitol to comment on the shooting.
Citing Trump, Kelly said, "Americans need more than our president's prayers. We need his plans."
Kelly is calling for a commission to work on solutions to gun violence. He said it's the only acceptable moral course for the country.