Rand Paul issues supportive statement of sniper after father's critical tweet

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) issued a statement Tuesday offering condolences to the family of sniper Chris Kyle, a day after Paul's father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), posted a controversial tweet about Kyle's murder.

“Chris Kyle was a hero like all Americans who don the uniform to defend our country," Rand Paul told Breitbart News. "Our prayers are with his family during this tragic time.”

Kyle, a veteran of five combat tours in Iraq, was thought to be the deadliest sniper in American military history, killing 160 people. He and another veteran were killed at a shooting range Saturday by a former Marine who was thought to be suffering from combat-related mental health issues.

That news prompted Ron Paul to post this tweet to social media:

Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense

— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) February 4, 2013

Reports have said Kyle was helping Eddie Routh, his alleged shooter, through a treatment called "prolonged exposure therapy." According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder "practice approaching situations that are safe but which [they] may have been avoiding because they are related to the trauma."

Ron Paul elaborated on the comments in a post on his Facebook page later in the day.

“As a veteran, I certainly recognize that this weekend’s violence and killing of Chris Kyle were a tragic and sad event. My condolences and prayers go out to Mr. Kyle’s family," Paul said. “Unconstitutional and unnecessary wars have endless unintended consequences. A policy of non-violence, as Christ preached, would have prevented this and similar tragedies.”

Reactions to Paul's comments were critical, with many echoing conservative commentator and former Reagan speechwriter John Podhoretz, who tweeted that the remarks were "appalling."

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