Twitter users responded with outrage at Democratic Michigan State Rep. Ranjeev Puri, who made an official statement regarding the shooting at Michigan State University, which included telling fellow Americans “F— your thoughts and prayers.”
Puri, the Michigan House Majority Whip, blasted those pledging their thoughts and prayers to the local community after a gunman killed three students and injured five others at Michigan State University.
In an official letter responding to the horrific tragedy, Puri began by writing, “F— your thoughts and prayers,” and made a long argument on behalf of gun control in America.
Puri was making a common argument that liberals often argue following mass shootings: Americans, particularly Republicans, need to stop offering well wishes and prayers and instead promote gun control legislation.
The letter from Puri’s office pushed this notion, stating, “What happened in East Lansing is unfortunately far too common. Going to school in America, whether it’s pre-school or college, means risking your life every day to the threat of a mass shooting. Yet all we have offered up are empty solutions – traumatizing active shooter drills and bulletproof backpacks.”
Puri added, “Thoughts and prayers without action and change are meaningless. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to pass common sense gun reform immediately.”
Puri repeated the obscenity in a Twitter post with his letter attached, writing, “Today, we begin to collectively heal from the horrific events which transpired, tomorrow we work. My official statement regarding the Michigan State University shooting is below: F— your thoughts and prayers.”
Puri’s comments come as more revelations have come out about the shooter, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, including the fact that he had previously been arrested on felony gun charges in 2019.
McRae pleaded guilty to an attached misdemeanor charge, and federal prosecutors dropped the felony charges.
Puri’s tweet and letter were viewed over two million times and received hundreds of angry and mocking responses, some from prominent conservatives on the platform.
Many conservatives pointed out that the school was a government-designated “gun free zone” and that those policies were ineffective in preventing the shooting.
“You’re so edgy. How effective were the gun free zone signs at MSU?” commented conservative activist and former GOP congressional candidate Robby Starbuck.
YouTubers the “Hodgetwins” responded by saying “The only people protected by ‘gun free zones’ are criminals.”
Journalist Kimberly Morin slammed Puri, tweeting, “Your gun free zones built this. You intentionally make it EASIER for psychopathic criminals to HARM the innocent. And you want more of it. You’re disgusting.”
Others pointed to McRae’s previous charges. One commenter, John Cardillo, shot back at Puri, writing, “No, f— you. The shooter had two prior gun charges but your woke DAs cut him deals. There isn’t a gun law on this planet he would have obeyed, you tyrannical hack.”
Others hit out at Puri’s response, viewing it as inappropriate for a person of his position, such as author John Hawkins who pointed out that “The sort of person who says ‘f— your thoughts and prayers’ is not the sort of person who can be trusted if he gets his way and disarms law-abiding people.”
Independent journalist Ian Miles Cheong mocked the state lawmaker with a sarcastic comment, tweeting, “Stunning, and some might say brave.”
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