Irish rocker Bono took time during a recent concert performance to say a prayer for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-AL), who was shot last week during a practice for the annual bipartisan congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia.
“We are so grateful that Congressman Scalise and his comrades made it through. So grateful.” the U2 frontman is heard saying on a video posted online Tuesday by Scalise.
“We hold him up as love holds us all up,” Bono said before performing the band’s next song.
James T. Hodgkinson of Illinois fired dozens of rounds at some 45 Republican members of Congress last Wednesday morning in Alexandria, Virginia, severely wounding Scalise, two congressional aides, and two Capital Police officers.
Hodgkinson’s social media accounts were filled with posts indicating his hatred for President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. The shooter died of his injuries.
While Bono chose to uplift Scalise and the shooting victims, several Hollywood stars used the attack to push for gun control legislation, or blame the Congressman himself for being shot.
On the morning of the shooting, actor Jeffrey Wright tweeted: “Too many stupid asses in our country with too many fucking guns,” while actress Julianne Moore said she hopes the shooting will motivate Congress to “act” on gun control.
Meanwhile, Democratic strategist James Devine responded to the shooting by launching the Twitter hashtag “#HuntRepublicanCongressmen.”
“If you want to behave in an uncivilized and violent manner, which I do not condone, but if you want to operate under those circumstances then you have to be prepared to accept those consequences,” he said in an interview with MyCentralJersey.com last week.
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