NRA warns about 2 Jewish, 1 Catholic 'gun grabbers' day after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Memorial outside Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh — (Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

On Saturday, a 46-year-old gunman with three pistols, an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, and a history of virulently anti-Semitic posts on social media murdered 11 Jewish congregants at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, telling police after he was wounded, "I just want to kill Jews," according to a criminal complaint released Sunday.

Later on Sunday, the National Rifle Association posted a get-out-the-vote message targeting former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, and the Democratic leaders of Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.). Schumer and Bloomberg are Jewish (Pelosi is Catholic); Bloomberg, while not a candidate for any office this year, is a prominent proponent of tougher gun laws.

"You don't want the Bloomberg/Schumer/Pelosi extreme gun control agenda in charge of the fate of your right to self-defense," the NRA tweeted Sunday night. "It is critical to get out and #vote — encourage your family, friends, and community to vote too. Every single vote counts." It is possible the tweet was scheduled before the shooting. When House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned about Tom Steyer, Bloomberg, and a third Jewish Democratic donor, George Soros, last week, he deleted the tweet the next day.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.