Former Rare Staff
Miley Cyrus responded to criticism of her initial reaction to the news of the deadly church shooting in Texas with a commentary on white men, guns and President Trump.
Videos by Rare
On Sunday, Devin Kelley, 26, killed 26 people after he opened fire in the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Cyrus said the shooting was a “TERRORIST act by a WHITE AMERICAN MAN!” and said that she was “Mortified by our country & its shitty system, lack of control/laws!” in an Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbJ_8x6h7zr/?taken-by=mileycyrus
Fans were divided by the post.
“Gun laws are not the issue!” one Instagram user argued. “Without guns, the shooter would probably still be alive and have killed a lot more people! But since there was a GOOD GUY WITH A GUN he was able to put a stop to the shooter! Drugs safe illegal, people still find a way to get them. Drinking and driving is illegal, people are dying everyday because of it. Laws do not stop people.”
Another said, “Thank you Miley for the passion and love you speak with not everyone will agree with you and that’s ok but the point is a discussion most be had and something most be done.”
Cyrus wrote a follow-up post, saying she was “aghast” by the reaction to her first post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbKEblGBpQb/?taken-by=mileycyrus
She also criticized Trump for saying that the focus should be on mental health, not guns, while on a foreign policy trip to Japan.
“We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn’t a guns situation,” Trump said in a press conference.
“I’d like to believe that EVERY person who takes the life of another being is ‘ mentally ill ‘ …. it’s hard to conceptualize that a sane human could commit such a hideous crime. BUT I am sorry Donald Trump this absolutely is a ‘ GUNS SITUATION,'” Cyrus asserted.
She then received backlash for speaking on the place that external factors such as gender, race, and religion played after a mass shooting.
RELATED: Here’s how 2 good guys with a truck and a gun stopped the Texas church shooter
In her final post, Cyrus told her fans that it was not her intention to “generalize or stereotype.” She shared pictures of the men in her family with the caption, “Just a few of my favorite WHITE AMERICAN MALES.”
“You are all correct to believe every human deserves the same respect …. but please keep that in mind when you’re judging others. NOT just with the race , religion , gender , or sexuality which YOU identify with. Deal?”
Cyrus ended her statements with a heart emoji.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbKGYDuBQub/?taken-by=mileycyrus
RELATED:Â Chelsea Handler tweets a jaw-dropping response to the Sutherland Springs church massacre
