Democrats Not Avoiding Politics in ‘Dark Knight’ Shootings

California senator calls for reflection on the nation’s gun control laws

Dianne Feinstein has worked years in local and national politics, so it’s no surprise to some that she’d find a way to introduce politics into the tragedy gripping Coloradans.

Feinstein, a Democratic U.S. senator from California, joined scores of politicians offering their condolences to the families of those killed and injured in “Dark Knight Rises” screenings in Aurora, Co. on Friday.

“It is with great sorrow that I follow the news of today’s tragedy in Colorado,” Feinstein said in a written statement, reported by the Los Angeles Times. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of this senseless violence.”

And here comes the politics:

“Today is a time for grieving," Feinstein went on, “but my hope is the country will also reflect on the roots of gun violence that has again visited terror on an American community, claiming the lives of more innocents.”

[ALSO READ: Obama Calls For Prayer and Reflection]

It’s probably easy for most of outside of California to forget Feinstein’s experience as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

From the LAT story:

(Feinstein) was at City Hall when Dan White, a former supervisor, shot and killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Moscone’s assassination vaulted Feinstein into the San Francisco mayor’s office and revived her political career.

Do you think politicians should wait at least 48 hours (or more) before injecting the gun control debate into mass shooting tragedies?

Tell us in the comment section below.

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