TL;DR; “No”. Slightly longer version – The #1 killer of children in the U.S. is gun violence. Thoughts and prayers are meaningless.
If you are simply expressing a bit of empathy, then yes, offering “Thoughts and Prayers” is indeed wholly appropriate. If you are struggling with grief and loss, then “Thoughts and Prayers” might also be a useful personal strategy.
However …
If you have political power and are in a position to actually do something meaningful, but all you actually do is offer “Thoughts and Prayers“, and refuse to actually do anything else, then criticism of that is wholly appropriate.
You most probably are also perhaps as equally frustrated as I am.
So this happened …
I did already cover this next bit within my weekly “MAGA Madness” posting, but I’m repeating it here as well to expand upon it.
Jen’s stance is important because she has a platform, so I applaud her robustly for saying it …
She got 16.4M views and also a hell of a lot of criticism.
The key thing that those criticising her don’t get is that “Thoughts and Prayers” are fine for expressing empathy and fine as a means to cope, but when you then use it as your one and only “solution”, which is what lawmakers do ever single damn time, then it’s not fine.
She was also not telling them to not pray, but was instead telling them it is just not enough. However, since we are on the topic there there is also this reality …
Below Jones also nails it with a bit of further insight – they have the power to take meaningful action and instead just go with “thoughts and prayers“, the ultimate “do absolutely nothing” option …
After the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Pope Leo retweeted this from Senator Chris Murphy: “Your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”. They refused to listen then, and and still refuse to act now …
In other words, there is no ducking this observation …
“There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.”
Miroslav Volf (Croatian Protestant theologian and public intellectual, and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale)
Rebuttals from Fred Guttenberg
Fred very tragically lost Jaime in a shooting, and so his pushback against Tulsi is wholly appropriate …
He writes …
When people like you say “thoughts and prayers” all that I hear is you saying that is all you have and let’s move on. The idea that you would suggest that people like me, a victim of a mass shooting, hate God because we despise you and your fake reactions just confirms that you are a sick person who will use God and religion to serve your own evil purposes. You are despicable to the core Tulsi.
I am so very with him on this.
JD Vance claimed that nobody actually thinks that prayer is a substitute for action. That however is total BS. Rather obviously time after time, their actions are loud and clear via their complete absence, and so Fred quite rightly calls out that BS …
He Writes …
It is shocking to me how politicians like you mock and use the idea of “thoughts and prayers” to cover for your prior and future inaction and the reality that I visit my forever 14 daughter at the cemetery.
… and once again, like you, I’m so very with him on this.
“Prayer has been banned from Schools”
A common argument from some of the religious is that because prayer has been banned from schools, stuff like this happens.
That claim is of course BS. Prayer was never banned from schools. When actually happened via two landmark decisions, Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), which focused primarily on school-sponsored Bible reading, is that the Supreme Court established that schools don’t get to impose religion on students. Students can still of course pray if they wish, and even form a bible club if they wish. The line is that it must be student-initiated and student-led – Teachers and school staff cannot initiate or run the club.
Meanwhile, as for this supposed lack of prayer bing a cause, the Mayor of Minneapolis blew that idea away by pointing out that the brutally murdered kids were literally in a church praying …
There are three very obvious things, as listed by Robert Reich …
What about the Second Amendment?
There has been a string of various cases and so SCOTUS has applied a specific interpretation that means specific gun regulations are not possible such as a complete ban.
OK, let’s put that debate aside and think about things that are still possible even with the prevailing interpretations of the second amendment.
Here is a most probably incomplete list of options.
Who Can Own Guns
- There are people who should not have access, and so laws barring gun ownership by felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, or people with certain mental health conditions, are all fully constitutional.
- Age limits for many things apply and that should also include gun – courts have upheld most age restrictions.
How Guns Are Bought
- Having federal background checks is constitutional. Expanding this to cover all sales (e.g. private sales or gun shows) is debated, but not inherently unconstitutional.
- Some states require waiting periods (e.g. 3–10 days) between purchase and pickup. These have been upheld in lower courts. This should be universally applied.
- Federal Firearms License (FFL) requirements for all sellers is also constitutional.
Where Guns Can Be Carried
- There are places where weapons are banned – Courts allow this for schools, government buildings, courthouses, airports, polling places, and some public gatherings.
- All businesses and homeowners should have the right to prohibit guns on their premises.
What Types of Guns
- “Dangerous and unusual” weapons bans have been upheld by courts – (e.g. machine guns, sawed-off shotguns)
- Accessory regulations: Laws restricting silencers, bump stocks, and some high-capacity magazines have had mixed results in courts, but they are not unconstitutional.
How Guns Are Stored or Used
- Safe storage laws: Some states require secure storage when minors are present. Courts generally allow these as long as they don’t make self-defense impossible. These could be made national.
- Red flag laws: Laws allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed a risk to themselves or others have been upheld in several states. These could also be made national.
etc…
The point is obvious. A great deal can be done, even in the context of the currently deeply flawed interpretation of the second amendment. There is literally no viable excuse for doing absolutely nothing.
One Last thought
The Minneapolis school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and Church occurred on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
In 2025 alone up to 31 Aug, there has been a total of 302 people that have been killed and 1,354 people have been wounded in 309 shootings. The list documents seven more mass shootings since Minneapolis, and it is only a few days later.
The NRA funds elected representatives in Congress. Over time that has been about 90% Republican, but during the 2024 election cycle it was exclusively to Republican candidates—no contributions went to Democrats.
This is a single issue decision – if you want to see action taken, then take a personal pledge with yourself to not vote for the bought and paid for Republicans who continue to take no action.
Well yes, there are many other rather good reasons to not vote for them, but this alone is a good enough reason.