A board member for the National Rifle Association added his voice to the discussion about gun control that followed Wednesday’s mass shooting at a South Carolina church, blaming one of the murdered prayer group members for the incident because of his position on gun control.

Charles Cotton posted a remark on TexasCHLforum.com  Thursday, casting blame on state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, a reverend and a state senator and one of the nine people killed. Cotton said the shooting would not have happened if Pinckney had not taken a position in the state legislature against the right to carry concealed guns.

“…(H)e voted against concealed-carry. Eight of his church members who might be alive if he had expressly allowed members to carry handguns in church are dead. Innocent people died because of his position on a political issue.”

Pinckney voted with the majority against concealed-carry, which would have allowed people to carry guns into public places, including churches and daycare centers.

Although Cotton says he has been a board member of the NRA for 13 years, a spokesman for the organization told POLITICO that Cotton was not speaking on behalf of the NRA with his remark.

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