Loretta Lynn on Mass Shootings: ‘This Hatred Isn’t Us’
Loretta Lynn has responded to the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio with a sorrowful social media post urging her fans to pray for the affected, as well as realize that these violent events do not define the United States.
"It's too much for any heart. I think of the mommas, the husbands, the wives, the children," the singer mourned on Facebook Sunday (Aug. 4). "I've crisscrossed this country singing. I've been to the big cities and the tiniest county fairs in America. In every place, I saw her goodness and her beautiful people. I love them all. This hatred isn't us. It has to stop. Let's pray for El Paso and Dayton and for the country I love with all my heart."
On Saturday (Aug. 3), prior to the shooting in Ohio, Lynn also posted a short but pained comment regarding that day's shooting in Texas. "My heart breaks for El Paso. I’m praying for all of you. I love you, El Paso!"
Hundreds of fans responded to her posts, with many noting that they were from the Dayton and El Paso areas and appreciated her thoughts to the communities.
The Dayton tragedy marked the second mass shooting in less than 15 hours, with at least nine people killed and 27 injured in the downtown Oregon district. In El Paso, 20 people were killed and more than two dozen injured. Both gunmen were dressed in body armor and armed with assault rifles.
The most recent shootings have come just a week after a gunman opened fire and killed three people and injured more than a dozen others at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.
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