Miley Cyrus took to Instagram on Monday, November 7, to respond to criticism for her heartfelt post about gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at a church in Texas.
Earlier in the day the singer, 24, posted a message calling for gun control after a gunman killed 26 people, including eight members of one family, and injured more than 20 others during a church service in the small town of Sutherland Springs.
“My dreams have become nightmares & those nightmares , reality … This isn’t fair , this isn’t right , this isn’t just , this isn’t human! This is a TERRORIST act by a WHITE AMERICAN MAN!” the Grammy nominee wrote. “I am heartbroken & embarrassed. Mortified by our country & its s–tty system , lack of control/laws! This does NOT HAVE or NEED to happen! It’s devastatingly disgusting!”
Referencing the lyrics to her song “Bad Mood,” she continued, “I wanted to bring awareness to the fact that everyday we are waking up to more terrifyingly painful information that makes it nearly impossible to feel optimistic that things are going to change! They say it gets worst before it gets better in some cases & I wish on every star that this is the worst of it! I continue to be hopeful that enough is enough and the eyes of the ignorant will open and realize that (gun) VIOLENCE has to stop! This a–holes Facebook profile photo was a f–king riffle ! ‘I don’t know how much more it can take!’ #F–kGuns#F–kViolence My love is with you TX!”
While several fans commented positively on her post (and it attracted more than half a million likes), others took issue with her pointing out that a white American male was responsible for the attack.
But the “Malibu” singer didn’t back down and returned to Instagram with another post defending her comments.
“I am aghast by the reaction of my latest post,” Cyrus wrote. “It is completely amazing to me how defensive and in denial this country really is! You are not focused on the horrific tragedy I addressed but more angered that I am putting a BIG bright spotlight on the fact it was a ‘WHITE AMERICAN MALE’ terrorist that walked in & killed 26 people (including children) leaving 20 severely injured!”
“Since this tragedy has occurred (coming off the cusp of Vegas, another terroristic act by a white American male) DONT START to be all innocent! Gender , race , & religion HAS and continues to matter for all the wrong reasons & that’s only the beginning of how backwards this country is!” she continued. “All of you are so focused on protecting yourself, you’ve completely forgotten that you’re not the only one that has to live in this country or on this planet! Aren’t you exhausted? Because to be honest I am f–king sick and tired of starting everyday with tears and in mourning! Let’s unite! Trump never needed to build a wall for us , we’ve done it ourselves! Love!”
The post has more than 300,000 likes and Cyrus followed it up by posting pictures of some of her favorite white American males, including her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and her brothers, Braison and Trace. “I do NOT & refuse to generalize or stereotype!” she captioned the pics. “You are all correct to believe every human deserves the same respect …. but please keep that in mind when you’re judging others. NOT just with the race , religion , gender , or sexuality which YOU identify with. Deal?”
