Over the weekend, two shootings have happened. One took place in Dayton, Ohio and the other in El Paso, Texas. Many people have subsequently lost their lives or sustained serious injuries. The two shootings also prompted coversations about gun violence, tightening gun control measures, and potential factors which motivate people to go out and commit mass murders.

Earlier today, 2020 candidate and self-proclaimed Democratic-socialist Bernie Sanders appeared on CNN for an interview. During Sanders' time on air, he spoke about the two shootings and the factor which he believes is most relevant. By Sanders' own admission, he maintains that President Trump's rhetoric is serving as a dog whistle to "mentally unstable people."

A Closer Look at Sanders' Take on the Shootings and President Trump

Sanders is not alone in believing that the president of the United States bears responsibility for the events in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. Many other left-wing progressives have taken this stance, claiming that Trump's words are causing people to go out and commit crimes. When speaking with CNN, Sanders stated that the president's language is "racist" and "virulently anti-immigrant."

He then censured Trump's stances on legal immigration and tied it into this weekend's shootings:

"What he has to understand, in a nation when you have many, many thousands of people who are mentally unstable, when you talk about invasions and hordes of people, and talk about Mexicans as criminals and rapists, and a country under siege, you have unstable people who see that as a sign they have to take up arms and do the horrific things that we just saw in El Paso."

Sanders then concluded his remarks by denouncing the president as a white nationalist, a racist, and a xenophobe.

Pushback Against Sanders' Take

In the wake of the tragedies in Ohio and Texas, many Americans pushed back against Sanders' take on Trump bearing responsibility. The pushback overwhelmingly comes from conservatives who maintain that mental health issues play a large role in these shootings. Moreover, the right-wing censured progressives for seizing the two shootings as opportunities to call for stricter gun control measures.

Republicans routinely note the reality that criminals do not follow gun control laws. As such, right-wing individuals believe that gun control will only impact law-abiding citizens.