周日，福克斯新闻的一位客人指责美国对基督教衰落的枪支暴力上升，因为西德克萨斯州的一次大规模枪击导致本周末至少7人死亡，22人受伤。
周六下午在敖德萨和米德兰之间的一个交通站开始致命的大屠杀，加剧了共和党立法者制定更严格的枪支管制措施的压力。袭击发生在枪手在俄亥俄州代顿开火后几周，用一枚突击武器杀死9人，另一人袭击了德克萨斯州埃尔帕索的沃尔玛，造成22人死亡，数十人受伤。
在周日讨论西德克萨斯大屠杀的Fox＆Friends部分期间，Tony Perkins--一名前警察，现任家庭研究委员会主席，基督教保守政策和游说组织 - 试图指责美国所谓的道德沦落，因为该国在大规模枪击事件。
“这是悲剧性的，在某种程度上我们必须意识到我们作为一个国家存在问题，问题不在于没有法律。这是缺乏道德，”帕金斯说，“[这是]几十年的结果 - 漫游美国各大学院，从公共广场驱逐宗教和上帝。“
“作为一个国家，我们需要做什么？” 该剧的主持人问帕金斯。
“我愿意与左派坐下来说'我不想再听到你的祈祷了'，”这位前警官回答道。“嗯，我同意。单独祈祷是不够的，是时候采取行动了。这不仅仅是关于限制那些不应该拥有枪支的人 - 罪犯 - 但它也是对我们文化中缺乏道德核心的讨论今天。”
“我们教过我们的孩子，他们偶然通过原始粘液出现，我们很惊讶他们把他们的美国同胞视为泥土，”他继续道。
帕金斯接着表示，宗教在打击全国大规模枪击事件方面比枪支管制更有效。
他说：“我认为我们必须回到我们向这些孩子灌输的地步......至少让他们有机会知道他们是按照上帝的形象创造的，因此他们具有内在的价值。” “正如美国第一任总统所说，”如果没有宗教，我们就不会有道德。“
这位前警官补充说：“我们把宗教从我们的公共生活中驱逐出去，我们感到震惊的是，我们不再拥有道德，我们不再重视人的生命。”
由于美国人强烈要求立法者对大规模枪击事件“做点什么”，德克萨斯州共和党国会议员马特舍费尔周六抨击更严厉的枪支控制措施。
在一系列推文中，代表德克萨斯州第六届国会选区的舍费尔在宣传美国“上帝赋予的，受宪法保护的”第二修正案权利时，对新的枪支限制说“不”。
“'做一点事！' 是我们一直听到的声明。作为在奥斯汀投票的民选官员，让我告诉你我不会做什么，“Schaefer在周六晚上发布推文，几小时后，西德克萨斯州的枪击事件爆发了。“我不会利用少数人的邪恶行为来削弱我的德州同胞的上帝赋予的权利。期间。这些所谓的枪支控制解决方案都不会阻止一个有恶意的人。”
A Fox News guest on Sunday blamed America's rising gun violence on the decline of Christianity after a mass shooting in West Texas left at least seven dead and 22 others injured this weekend.
The deadly massacre, which began at a traffic stop between Odessa and Midland on Saturday afternoon, has intensified pressure on GOP lawmakers to enact stricter gun control measures. The attack came just weeks after a gunman opened fire in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine with an assault weapon and another stormed a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, leaving 22 dead and dozens more injured.
During a Fox & Friends segment discussing the West Texas massacre on Sunday, Tony Perkins — a former police officer who's currently president of the Family Research Council, a Christian conservative policy and lobbying organization — attempted to blame America's allegedly dwindling morality for the country's uptick in mass shootings.
"It's tragic and at some point we have to realize we have a problem as a nation, and the problem is not the absence of laws. It's an absence of morality," Perkins said, "[which is] really the result of a decades-long march through the institutions of America, driving religion and God from the public square."
"What do we need to do as a country?" the show's host asked Perkins.
"I'm willing to sit down with the left who say, 'I don't want to hear anymore about your prayers,'" the former police officer replied. "Well, I agree. Praying alone is not enough, it's time to act. It's not just about having a conversation about restricting those who should not have guns — criminals — but it's also a discussion of the absence of a moral core in our culture today."
"We've taught our kids that they come about by chance through primordial slime and we're surprised that they treat their fellow Americans like dirt," he continued.
Perkins went on to suggest that religion would be more effective than gun control in combating mass shootings across the country.
"I think we have to go back to the point where we instil in these children... at least give them the opportunity to know that they're created in the image of God, therefore they have inherent value," he said. "As the first president of the United States said, 'don't think we can have morality without religion.'"
The former police officer added: "We've driven religion from our public life and we're shocked that we no longer have morality and we no longer value human life."
As Americans intensified calls for lawmakers to "do something" about mass shootings, Texas GOP congressman Matt Schaefer on Saturday railed against tougher gun control measures.
In a series of tweets, Schaefer, who represents Texas' 6th congressional district, said "NO" to new gun restrictions while touting America's "God-given, constitutionally protected" Second Amendment rights.
"'Do something!' is the statement we keep hearing. As an elected official with a vote in Austin, let me tell you what I am NOT going to do," Schaefer tweeted on Saturday evening, hours after news of the West Texas shooting broke. "I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent."