Apple CEO Tim Cook Says US Needs Gun Control In Wake Of El Paso, Dayton Shootings

Apple CEO Tim Cook described the lack of action on gun control from Capitol Hill as "insanity," and has urged lawmakers to take bipartisan action on the issue after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

"I'm heartbroken about what's happening in my country," Cook tweeted Monday. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. It's time for good people with different views to stop the finger pointing and come together to address the violence for the good of this country."

Cook's Twitter posting received nearly 43,000 likes.

The comments come as the nation has reeled from a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso that killed 22 people and wounded 26, and a later shooting in downtown Dayton, Ohio, that killed nine people and wounded 27.

There has been a split in Congress about action that should be taken after such shootings. Democrats have sought gun control reforms, while Republicans blame mental health issues and violent video games.

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has urged Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to vote on background check gun control legislation that has already been passed in the House.

Republicans have been mostly quiet on the gun issue. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Trump have blamed the shootings on video games, with Trump also citing mental health issues. "Mental illness and hatred pull the trigger, not the gun," Trump said.

Cook, who was criticized for AppleTV making the NRATV channel available for download, has made previous statements in support of gun control. He lauded gun control activists while addressing Duke University graduates in May 2018. He also publicly supported Parkland High School students for fighting to school safety.

"Public discourse is an important part of democracy," Cook said about allowing NRATV to be available by AppleTV. "Democracy without discourse is not a democracy."