Bill O'Reilly said the deadly Las Vegas shooting was the "price of freedom" and that the Second Amendment protected the shooter's right to own the guns used in the atrocity.
The former Fox News host made his comments on his Bill O’Reilly blog as the city continued to come to grips with the tragedy. He called shooter Stephen Paddock, 64, a "psychotic gunman."
At least 59 people died and 527 others injured in what is being called the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history after Paddock shot into a crowd of 22,000 attending the Route 91 Harvest festival near Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino while country star Jason Aldean performed, CNN reported.
"This is the price of freedom," O'Reilly said. "Violent nuts are allowed to roam free until they do damage, no matter how threatening they are. The Second Amendment is clear that Americans have a right to arm themselves for protection. Even the loons."
The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities found 17 weapons in Paddock's room, including four Daniel Defense DDM4 rifles, three FN-15s and other rifles made by Sig Sauer. The Times said that he appeared to have purchased all the weapons legally and passed all required background checks.
There was a report that Paddock had two "bump-stocks" that could have converted semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones.
O'Reilly charged that new government restrictions on weapons would not stop such crimes from happening.
"They will find a way," the former talk show host said. "Public safety demands logical gun laws but the issue is so polarizing and emotional that little will be accomplished as there is no common ground."
Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for Congress to take action Monday, pointing to last year's Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting where 49 people were killed.
"It has been barely a year since what was previously the largest mass shooting in American history – the deadly attack at Pulse nightclub," Blumenthal said on his website. "In the interim, thousands more have been lost to the daily, ruthless toll of gun violence. Still, Congress refuses to act. I am more than frustrated, I am furious."
O'Reilly said he believed such Congressional action would be misguided.
"The murderer had a number of deadly weapons in his room and you can count on the gun control debate to ramp up," O'Reilly said on his blog. "But having covered scores of gun-related crimes over the years, I can tell you that government restrictions will not stop psychopaths from harming people."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.