Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday slammed the NRA.

 Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday commented on the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand by bringing the violence issue closer to home and the National Rifle Association, reports The Hill. "At 1st I thought of saying, 'Imagine being told your house of faith isn't safe anymore.' But I couldn't say 'imagine.' Because of Charleston. Pittsburgh. Sutherland Springs. What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don't even keep the pews safe?" she wrote in a tweet. "'Thoughts and prayers' is reference to the NRA's phrase used to deflect conversation away from policy change during tragedies. Not directed to PM Ardern, who I greatly admire," Ocasio-Cortez added. The shootings, which claimed 49 lives, occurred around the time of Friday Prayer. 
The New York Times reports: "A video and manifesto that appeared to be by a gunman involved in the shooting were posted online on the day of the attack."  According to authorities, four people were detained and one, a man described as being in his 20s, has been charged with murder. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern noted via Twitter: "What has happened in Christchurch is an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence. It has no place in New Zealand. Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities – New Zealand is their home – they are us."