Ohio Officials Offer Condolences After Las Vegas Shooting

Ohio public officials offered prayers, condolences and calls for a renewed focus on weapons after a gunman killed at least 58 people and injured over 500 in Las Vegas.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown called such shootings “one of the saddest aspects of our culture now.”

“This random gun violence begs the question, how does somebody like that get a gun that can discharge that many rounds in that few seconds?” Brown, a Democrat, said in an interview on WVIZ/PBS’s Ideas. “And how do you talk to your children about this when it’s so random? Everyone always says this, but our hearts go out to those who were killed, the family members, and those who were injured.”

Brown also said the NRA “owns the president” in response to question about gun control. On Twitter, however, he took a more measured tone.

Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, also responded to the news in a series of tweets this morning.

Gov. John Kasich declared that flags would fly at half-staff on Monday, after an order by President Trump.

Mayor Andrew Ginther responded in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

And Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs released a statement saying the department is prepared for scenarios like this one, should they occur.

Here are responses from other Ohio members of Congress: