Leavitt Offers Power of Prayer after Minneapolis Massacre, So Why Did Prayer Not Prevent It?

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked former W.H. press secretary Jen Psaki for saying “enought with the thoughts and prayers” regarding yet another horrific gun massacre of children, this time in a Catholic church. Leavitt verbally assaulted Psaki for being “utterly disrespectful” about the “power of prayer.” Psaki did no such thing, of course. She tearfully expressed on her MSNBC show her weariness regarding the impotence of Congress, the president, and our society in general to productively address the continual mass gun violence of our society. What no one seems to challenge, however, is the very premise of Leavitt’s reference to the power of prayer. If prayer is so powerful and calls for “thoughts and prayers” rain down upon us after each and every massacre, why doesn’t prayer STOP THE DAMNED VIOLENCE? I’ll tell you why—because prayer has no such power to prevent a white man (almost all perpetrators are male and most are white men) from doing such wanton malevolence. If prayers are so damned powerful to affect human behavior, why hasn’t prayer stopped these massacres? Are we as a society just not praying hard enough? After the fact instead of before the act? Muttering the wrong prayers? The mantra that prayers are powerful is never demonstrated before the fact, especially in such cases as school shootings and gun violence in almost every conceivable environment.

I’ll tell you how to dramatically lower such hideous violence. Outlaw all guns in the U.S. except for very narrow exceptions (e.g., sport shooting at tightly controlled gun clubs; you fill in the blanks because we all know this will never occur). After the Port Arthur massacre in Australia in 1996, very strict gun ownership and gun control laws were passed. Australia’s gun violence declined precipitously until recently when violations of those gun laws have increased. So, skip the sermons, Leavitt about the power of prayer, you sanctimonious Trump mouthpiece. Where’s your evidence? What works is evidenced by what Australia has done and other countries such as the UK, Japan, etc. But America will continue down this ugly road despite massive evidence that clearly shows the power not of prayer but strict gun control.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/29/2340900/-Leavitt-Offers-Power-of-Prayer-after-Minneapolis-Massacre-So-Why-Did-Prayer-Not-Prevent-It