Chelsea Handler Draws Flak After Calling Out Republicans for the Texas Church Shooting
Comedian and host Chelsea Handler is facing criticisms after reacting to the recent Texas church shooting on Sunday and blaming it on the Republicans.
Handler, a known critic of President Donald Trump, joined a band of celebrities and personalities who reacted shortly after the mass shooting made headlines. The talk show host did not mince words as she implied that the massive support of the Grand Old Party, aka the Republican Party, for gun ownership had perpetuated the incident.
Hours after Sunday's mass shooting occurred, Handler tweeted: "Innocent people go to church on Sunday to honor their God, and while doing so, get shot in killed. What country? America. Why? Republicans."
The recent mass shooting by a gunman identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley targeted the congregation of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Twenty-six people were killed, including a 1-year-old baby and an unborn infant, while several others sustained injuries.
The violent incident triggered another heated wave of arguments on the issue of gun control in the United States.
Many people reacted to Handler's tweet and called her out for allegedly politicizing the tragedy. One Twitter user replied: "More like Liberals!!! Liberal Media and celebrities attack Christians and Republicans at every turn! Shame on you, Chelsea Handler!"
On the other hand, there were also some netizens who fired back at Handler's tweet and reiterated that the gunman was reportedly a liberal. One Twitter user commented: "Your comments and thought processes are just sad. Even if you believe it's political, he was a Democrat."
Others have also called out Handler's tweet and referred to it as an "idiotic statement."
However, despite the wave of online criticisms from her first tweet, it seemed Handler was not backing down from her point as she tweeted a few hours later: "I don't know how these poor people are supposed to accept that their government watches these mass shootings and does nothing. It's so sick."