Democratic White House hopefuls renewed their calls for gun reform in their initial reactions to the California shooting that killed more than a dozen people on Wednesday, while Republicans were quick to send their thoughts and prayers to the victims.
Hillary Clinton has called for new gun control measures after previous shootings in Oregon, Virginia, and South Carolina. Similarly, Martin O'Malley tweeted that news of the shooting was "horrifying" and that it was time to "enact meaningful gun safety laws."
Bernie Sanders tweeted, "This sickening and senseless gun violence must stop."
Republicans seeking the White House have mostly focused their reactions on conveying thoughts and prayers to the victims and first-responders.
Mike Huckabee, however, did cite gun free zones as a possible reason for the shooting.
"It's always a tragedy when somebody engages in some mass murder. I think it's a reminder to us in most every case that we've had in this country, two things have been a common denominators, one a mentally unstable person. Two a gun free zone. And those seem to be the common denominators," Huckabee told reporters while campaigning in Iowa. "I don't know if that's the case in San Bernardino."
