Actress Lena Dunham took to social media Monday to respond to Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, in which 59 people lost their lives, writing on Twitter that there was “no way not to politicize” the tragic event.
“No way not to politicize this tragedy,” the showrunner and star of HBO’s Girls wrote in a tweet. “It’s about gender & race as well as access to guns. Considering it random is comforting & dangerous.”
The actress and producer was just one of several Hollywood celebrities to respond on social media Monday, hours after suspected gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, fired what was reported to be an automatic weapon from his 32nd floor hotel room at concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, leaving at least 59 people dead and more than 500 injured. Paddock was reported to have killed himself before police could apprehend him.
Earlier Monday, Dunham wrote that gun control “is the only answer to a question we shouldn’t even be asking.”
The Girls star was one of numerous celebrities to call for gun control following the mass shooting, which occurred around 10 p.m. Sunday night as country star Jason Aldean was performing on the third and final night of the festival.
Film and televisions stars including Elizabeth Banks, Alyssa Milano, Billy Eichner, and Emmy Rossum took to their Twitter accounts to call for increased gun control measures, while pop star Lady Gaga tweeted that “blood is on the hands” of legislators who do not act on guns.
Meanwhile, country music stars including Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood largely stayed out of the political fray, instead offering prayers for the victims and the city as it began to recover from the tragedy.
Aldean, who could be seen on video captured by concertgoers attempting to find shelter while the bullets whizzed around him, said in a statement on his Instagram account Monday morning that he was left “heartbroken” by the incident, which he called “beyond horrific.”
“My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night,” he wrote.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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