A Texas representative responded to the Odessa mass shooting with calls for 'praying for protection' rather than 'so-called gun-control solutions'

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State Rep. Matt Schaefer, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said at a legislative hearing that civil asset forfeiture is "a property rights question."

• Texas state representative Matt Schaefer said he doesn't support "so-called gun-control solutions" and instead will be "praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent" in a post on his official Facebook page.
• The post comes less than 24 hours after a shooting in Odessa, Texas, that left seven dead. 
• According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 283 mass shootings in the US in 2019.
• Progressive leaders such as Beto O'Rourke are already calling for stricter gun control in response to the shooting.
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A Texas state representative voiced his support for the Second Amendment and against stricter gun laws in the wake of the Odessa shooting. Republican Matt Schaefer said in place of "so-called gun-control solutions" he would be "praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent," in a statement posted to his official Facebook page. 

Schaefer, the District 6 representative in the Texas House of Representatives, said in the Facebook post he had no plans "to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans," less than 24 hours after seven people were killed in a shooting in Odessa, Texas.

"I say NO to "red flag" pre-crime laws. NO to universal background checks. NO to bans on AR-15s, or high capacity magazines. NO to mandatory gun buybacks," said Schaefer in the post. "YES to praying for protection. YES to praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent."

Schaefer has served District 6, an area roughly 100 miles east of Dallas, since 2013 after winning the 2012 general election when he ran unopposed. 

In 2017, Schaefer proposed a bill that required transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to their sex at birth. In April, Schaefer put forth a three-part bill pushing for stricter limitations on abortions.

His position on guns and response to the 283rd mass shooting this year is more extreme the center of his party, which has largely chosen to talk past the issue of gun control. President Trump tweeted this morning praising local police in response to the shooting, and made no mention of gun control.

Progressive Democrats appear to be taking the opposite approach. The same day as the shooting presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, who has been an outspoken gun control advocate, called for action on stricter gun control laws.