Paul Ryan calls Dallas police shootings "an attack on all of us"
House Speaker Paul Ryan addressed the horrific shootings of Dallas police officers Friday morning, condemning the violence from the House floor.
"We are all stunned by the events last night in Dallas. We are all outraged," Ryan said. "An attack on the people who protect us is an attack on all of us."
The Wisconsin Republican bemoaned the "long month" of violence for America and the "terrible, senseless things" the nation has seen since June.
"Who could have fathomed such horror as this?" he said of the five deceased Dallas officers and the several more injured. "There's no cause or context in which this violence, this kind of terror is justified. None at all."
The speaker also warned against seeing the crimes as a reason for further divisions in America.
"There will be a temptation for anger to harden our divisions. Let's not let that happen. There is going to be a temptation to let our anger send us further into our corners. Let's not let that happen," he said. "A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us. They do not control us. The blame lies with those that committed these vicious acts and no one else."
Ryan alluded to last month's heated gun control debate in his address, noting that "every member" of Congress would like to see less violence perpetuated by firearms.
"Every Republican and every Democrat -- wants to see less gun violence," he said. "Every member of this body wants a world in which people feel safe regardless of the color of their skin. And that's not how people are feeling these days."
But he cautioned that legislative disagreements shouldn't fuel rifts, urging unity despite policy differences on gun control.
"Sometimes we disagree passionately on how to get there -- but in having this debate, let's not lose sight of the values that unite us," Ryan said. "Let's not lose sight in our common humanity."
"If we lose those fundamental things, what's left?" he added. "We need to take a moment here for reflection, for thought, for prayer, for justice, for action. Right now, let's let justice be done. And also let some healing occur too."
Ryan's comments come after a weeks-long partisan standoff in Congress over gun control legislation. Democrats renewed their call for legislative action after the mass slaying of dozens at a gay nightclub in Orlando last month.
Though Ryan planned to hold a House vote earlier this week on gun control measures that would have restricted purchases by suspected terrorists, the House speaker backed away from scheduling it this week.
He said Wednesday that the House would vote on it "when we're ready," adding that "we have members from both sides of the aisle who want to make improvements, who want to make changes to the bill."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, followed Ryan on the House floor, thanking the families of those police officers that gave their lives Thursday night.
"We pray that it is a comfort to you that so many people mourn your loss and are praying for you at this sad time," Pelosi said.
The California Democrat also called for "mercy" in the wake of the recent shootings, adding to Ryan's call for justice.
"I associate myself with the remark of our Speaker when he referenced our president. 'Justice will be done. Justice must be done,'" Pelosi said. "We must also [have] mercy. Mercy must be done."
"We have to get to the facts and to the root causes of what caused these tragedies," she continued. "We must continue the work of nonviolence and demand an end to senseless killing everywhere."