GOP Senate candidate Josh Hawley says it's up to individual congregations about whether they should have an armed security presence.
After a deadly shooting this weekend at a Pittsburgh synagogue, President Donald Trump told reporters that the perpetrator may have been stopped if the place of worship had armed guards. That remark evoked criticism, including from Pittsburgh's mayor.
After a rally Monday in Chesterfield, Hawley was asked about whether he agreed with the president's comments.
Hawley said, "I think it's up to local congregations, whatever faith background, how they want to protect themselves and what that looks like for them. But I do want to say strongly that the person that committed this atrocity needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I hope that prosecutors will seek the maximum penalties."
Prosecutors said Monday that they were seeking approval for the death penalty for Robert Bowers, who is accused of killing 11 people on Saturday.
Since entering the world of professional journalism in 2006, Jason Rosenbaum dove head first into the world of politics, policy and even rock and roll music. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Rosenbaum spent more than four years in the Missouri State Capitol writing for the Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri Lawyers Media and the St. Louis Beacon.