Canberk Yüksel
03 October 2017•Update: 04 October 2017
By Canberk Yuksel
NEW YORK
Thirty-six hours after the worst mass shooting in modern American history President Donald Trump refused Tuesday to call the massacre domestic terrorism.
"He's a sick man, a demented man, a lot of problems, I guess. We’re looking into him very, very seriously," Trump told reporters.
As a candidate and now as president, Trump has been often quick to respond ahead of the facts after mass shootings at home and aborad. He infamously demanded a ban on Muslims from U.S. entry following a massacre in California in 2015.
Hours after the attack late Sunday, however, the White House shied away from labeling as domestic terrorism the shooting that killed at least 59 victims and injured nearly 530 others at a country music concert.
A White House spokeswoman on Monday urged patience to allow authorities to fully investigate the shooting before drawing conclusions.
Trump had high praise for law enforcement officials in Nevada whose quick response have been credited with saving lives. "What happened in Las Vegas is in many ways a miracle. The police department has done such an incredible job," he said.
As the conversation slowly turns to the gun control debate in the wake of another U.S. mass shooting, the president who is a strong gun rights advocate attempted to put off that discussion. "We will be talking about gun laws as time goes by,” he said.
Authorities said Paddock opened fire from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel against his victims who were 1,200 feet (365 meters) away.
He had an arsenal of military weapons in his hotel room and at his home in nearby Mesquite,
Paddock reportedly killed himself as police moved in on his hotel room.
Gun companies’ stocks jumped following the shooting, which analysts say is due to a belief by investors that lawmakers will attempt to push gun control legislation and the new concern could lead to a spike in the market for guns.
