Gavin Newsom blasts NRA after Louisiana shooting that killed 8 children: ‘Total moral failure’
CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES: Governor Gavin Newsom is condemning the National Rifle Association "and their lackeys in Congress" following the brutal mass shooting that left eight children dead in Shreveport.
Newsom called the tragedy a “total moral failure,” questioning how many more children must die before the organization stops “paying off politicians.”
Gavin Newsom slams the NRA and Congress
Governor Gavin Newsom reacted quickly to the news of the mass shooting in Shreveport, using his press office to voice his outrage.
The office stated on X, “This is an unspeakable tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones suffering in Louisiana.”
Newsom’s team did not hold back in pointing fingers at the current state of gun politics in America, claiming that “repeated horrors like this don’t happen anywhere else but this country.”
The statement went even further by declaring that the National Rifle Association “and their lackeys in Congress are complicit in this madness.”
This is an unspeakable tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones suffering in Louisiana.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 19, 2026
Repeated horrors like this don't happen anywhere else but this country.
This is a total moral failure — the @NRA and their lackeys in Congress are complicit in this madness. https://t.co/BRWNg8y7g2
Gavin Newsom calls Shreveport shootout a 'preventable' tragedy
Meanwhile, on his personal social media account, Governor Newsom reinforced his stance by calling the deaths of the young victims entirely “preventable.”
He focused on the extreme loss of life by noting that there were “Eight children murdered — ages 1 to 14.”
Furthermore, Newsom asked, “How many more kids have to be killed before the NRA stops paying off politicians?” He maintained that the incident was a “total moral failure.”
Eight children murdered — ages 1 to 14.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 19, 2026
This is a moral failure. It’s preventable.
How many more kids have to be killed before the @NRA stops paying off politicians? https://t.co/siDddj8apG
Details of the Shreveport attack that killed 8
Local authorities in Shreveport, Louisiana, are still processing the scale of the violence, which took place across three different homes.
Police identified 31-year-old Shamar Elkins as the gunman and described the killings as “domestic in nature.”
The attack reportedly started when Elkins shot his wife, the mother of his children, leaving her with “very serious injuries.”
Shreveport Police Department Chief Wally Smith described the area as “an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen.”
Mayor Tom Arcenaux also spoke on the gravity of the event, saying, “It’s a terrible morning in Shreveport” and adding that “This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.”
The children who lost their lives were identified as Jayla Elkins, aged 3, Shayla Elkins, aged 5, Kayla Pugh, aged 6, Layla Pugh, aged 7, Markaydon Pugh, aged 10, Sariahh Snow, aged 11, Khedarrion Snow, aged 6, and Braylon Snow, aged 5.
