THE mass shooting on Oct. 1 in Las Vegas was the deadliest in modern US history, but what seems to have pained some people who subscribe to racist or right-wing ideology more than the 59 lives lost is the fact the shooter was not a Muslim, American-born or immigrant, but a white man. The 64-year-old Stephen Paddock’s target was a mostly-white country music crowd.

Not that there was no effort to find someone with connections to “Islamic or jihadi” organizations as happened in Norway in 2011 when a man, later identified as a neo-Nazi, gunned down 77 people. In the chaotic aftermath of Sunday’s shooting, there were wild rumors and speculations about the identity of the killer, everyone pointing to who you know. In this they were assisted by Daesh (the so-called IS) or somebody who spoke on their behalf.

Some outlets with ties to the rightwing published reports that Paddock may be Muslim, before backtracking. Arutz Sheva, an Israeli news outlet repeated reports that the Las Vegas shooter had recently converted to Islam (later the paper revised that claim). Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, argued that American media outlets were purposely downplaying the shooter’s link to Daesh. There were also attempts to show how “jihadis” subscribe to “a coherent if maniacal creed” making the atrocities committed by them vastly different from “isolated acts of deranged psychopathy.”

Once it became clear that the Las Vegas massacre could not be linked to any “coherent if maniacal creed”, the right-wing websites and bloggers turned their attention to the left. They blamed everyone from leftists, communists and globalists. CNN also was held responsible.

The one group, apart from President Donald Trump and those of his followers who belong to the most extreme and racist wing of the Republican Party who felt cheated by the absence of “Islamic factor” in the shooting was the National Rifle Association (NRA) because everyone was blaming lack of gun control for the carnage. Mass shootings in the US, they pointed out, have steadily increased in number and size in recent years and this is only because of the easy availability of guns. Las Vegas killer had had up to 10 firearms including rifles in his room.

On average, 85 people a day are killed by guns in America where 32,000 people a year are killed and another 70,000 wounded by guns. That is more than the combined total of the next 20 richest countries on earth. For example, 32 people a year are killed by guns in Britain. In Japan, it’s as low as two or three.

The most worrying aspect is that over 500 American children a year die from guns. In the past two weeks alone, there have been numerous incidents where toddlers have killed other toddlers with guns left around by adults.

But still, the White House went out of its way to say it’s “too soon” to talk about gun control. The fact is “it is too soon” to forget the help, in terms of cash and votes, provided by the NRA to put Trump in the White House.

To be fair, Trump used to be fairly reasonable about guns, opposing high-powered assault weapons and big magazine clips. But once he realized the NRA could help him get elected, he started singing a different tune. “You have a true friend and champion in the White House,” he told the NRA at their conference after he won.

The question is how long can he remain “a true friend and champion” of the NRA in the face of mounting calls for the tightening of gun laws. Opinion polls have shown that large majorities of Americans agree on making several changes to gun control laws. Among other things, they want to restrict people with mental illnesses from buying guns and require background checks for private gun sales and at gun shows.