Ohio GOP chair calls for state lawmaker who blamed mass shootings on gay marriage, open borders to resign

Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Murphy Timken on Monday called for GOP state Rep. Candice Keller to resign after the lawmaker linked mass shootings in the U.S. to things such as gay marriage and "drag queen advocates."

"While our nation was in utter shock over the acts of violence in El Paso and Dayton, Republican State Representative Candice Keller took to social media to state why she thought these acts were happening. Candice Keller’s Facebook post was shocking and utterly unjustifiable," Timken said in a statement to The Hill.

"Our nation is reeling from these senseless acts of violence and public servants should be working to bring our communities together, not promoting divisiveness. I’m calling on Candice Keller to resign," Timken added.

The comments came after a weekend where mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, left more than 30 people dead. 

The incidents have sparked discussions about mass shootings in the U.S. as well as issues such as white supremacy and gun legislation.

In a since-deleted Facebook post, Keller blamed the incident in Dayton and other shootings on the "breakdown of the traditional American family," something she said was caused by gay marriage, transgender people and "drag queen advocates." 

Candice Keller is a Republican state representative from the Dayton area - this was published on her Facebook page, as reported by https://t.co/fvuPliWRL5: https://t.co/KOznWDXTZEpic.twitter.com/VDbpcAx9Xs

— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) August 4, 2019

Keller, who represents a district near Dayton, also blamed violent video games, "fatherlessness," recreational marijuana use and "open borders," according to screenshots of the post. 

"Why not place the blame where it belongs?" she wrote. "The breakdown of the traditional American family (thank you, transgender, homosexual marriage, and drag queen advocates); fatherlessness, a subject no one discusses or believes is relevant; the ignoring of violent video games; the relaxing of laws against criminals (open borders); the acceptance of recreational marijuana."

The lawmaker confirmed to the Dayton Daily News that she shared a post to her private Facebook page over the weekend.

Keller did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

In her post, Keller took issue with state lawmakers that she feels "have no interest whatsoever in learning about our Constitution and the Second Amendment." She also called out "snowflakes" who do not respect President Trump. 

In wake of the shootings, many Democratic lawmakers have called for Congress to pass legislation that places more restrictions on gun purchases. Trump on Monday laid out possible steps to combat mass shootings, such as a "red-flag law" that would make it easier to ban mentally ill people from purchasing firearms.