It is impossible to stay away from partisan politics in the wake of Monday's school shooting in Nashville, the White House said Tuesday, arguing Republicans need to back legislation in Congress.
Principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton made the statement to reporters during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One. She stated that partisan politics would be a necessary part of the conversation until Republicans can "get behind" an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures.
"This is yet another attack in a school — six people shot dead. Without getting into partisan party politics, what is it about America that this can happen, and we don't see any meaningful momentum for gun control?" a reporter asked.
"What you've seen from this president is a commitment to act, adding the most significant bipartisan gun safety legislation in 30 years… This president has been extremely forward leaning and aggressive in trying to tackle this issue of gun safety… but there is a limit to his executive power and there is a need for Congress to do more in this moment," Dalton responded.
"You asked me to stay away from partisan politics here, but it's impossible for me to do that," she continued. "The reality is we need Republicans in Congress to get on board with an assault weapons ban, to get on board with universal background checks, to get on board with requiring safe storage."
Three children and three adults were killed in Monday's attack on the Covenant School in Tennessee. The attacker, Audrey Hale, was a transgender man who preferred the name "Aiden."
Hale, 28, had attended the Covenant School years prior. The attacker meticulously planned the shooting, conducting surveillance and drawing detailed maps of the building. Hale was killed by police officers soon after the attack began.
According to the police chief, Hale fired at the officers who were arriving at the scene from windows on the second floor before they swept the building and found the shooter in a common room.
"The first call to 911 about shots being fired in the building came in at 10:13 a.m. Officers rushed to the campus, made entry, and began clearing the building. Shots were heard coming from the second level. It was on the second floor, in a common area, that a team of officers encountered Hale shooting (she had been firing through a window at arriving police cars). Two members of an officer team fired on Hale and fatally wounded her," Chief John Drake said.
