AOC Mocks ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After New Zealand Mosque Shooting, Says It’s an ‘NRA Phrase’

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) mocked the tendency to resort to prayer in the face of tragedy after 49 people were killed at mosques in New Zealand on Friday, and even suggested the phrase “thoughts and prayers” was devised by the NRA to distract from the issue of gun violence.

Four people have been arrested, and one charged with murder, in connection with mass shootings that took place at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch during mid-day prayer on Friday. The
first attack, at the Linwood Mosque, resulted in seven dead and ended when an armed congregant pursued the gunmen and fired on them. A second shooting at the Al Noor mosque claimed 41 lives.

“At first I thought of saying, ‘Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t same anymore.’ But I couldn’t say ‘imagine,’” Ocasio-Cortez said in her first reaction to the massacre. “What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?”

Ocasio-Cortez then attempted to clarify that she wasn’t attacking the New Zealand prime minister, but was instead identifying the tactics she believes the NRA uses to avoid discussing gun control in the wake of mass shootings.

Brandon Tarrant, 28, who has since been charged with murder, live-streamed part of his attack on the Al Noor mosque, creating a horrific 17-minute video of the massacre that has been distributed widely on social media. He also published a 87-page manifesto on Twitter prior to the attack wherein he espouses white nationalist views.

Police also found explosive devices attached to two vehicles outside of the mosques.