When Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. declared Friday that if more Americans could carry concealed guns "we could end those Muslims," he was aiding terrorism, Hillary Clinton alleged Sunday morning.
Falwell, the son of the late religious right leader Jerry Falwell Sr., made the remark at Liberty University's weekly convocation while discussing the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, the deadliest attack in the U.S. in three years which left 14 dead.
"I’ve always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in and killed them," he said.
Though Falwell later sought to clarify his comment to various news outlets by stating that he meant to refer to terrorists, rather than all Muslims, Clinton jumped on his original statement to accuse him of helping terrorists such as the so-called Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh).
"This is the kind of deplorable, not only hateful, response to a legitimate security issue but it is giving aid and comfort to ISIS and other radical jihadists," the former secretary of state and current Democratic presidential front-runner said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
Experts reckon that groups such as Daesh could seek to exploit instances of anti-Islam sentiment in the U.S. to drum up further support for their cause and recruit more adherents.