How Twitter Is Responding To Rick Perry's "Accident" Gaffe

If you had 16 in the "How many days until Rick Perry says something stupid enough to potentially implode his campaign?" poll, you win!

Yesterday, Rick Perry appeared on Fox News to campaign off this week's racially motivated terrorist attack in Charleston, South Carolina, which left nine black Bible study-goers dead at the hands of a white gunman. The former Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate said a number of monstrously stupid things on the right wing news network, including blaming the shooting on the misuse of prescription drugs rather than racial hatred or easy access to firearms. 

But his biggest mistake was describing the senseless tragedy as an "accident." His campaign claims he meant to say "incident," but even then, a hate crime leaving nine dead is no incident. It's a shameful, inexcusable, horrific act of premeditated murder. 

His remarks left Texans doing a collective facepalm. He's not even our governor anymore, yet he is still on the national stage embarrassing the Lone Star State. 

Here are some of the reactions from Twitter, from embarrassment to downright outrage, in reaction to Perry's remarks. 

Rick Perry calls #CharlestonShooting "an accident" and it got worse from there. You can put glasses on a moron... http://t.co/ySXRr3D49Y

— Peter W. Singer (@peterwsinger) June 19, 2015

@iMadeSmartCool It's fucking unbelievable. Perry even invoked that old bogeyman, illicit drugs.

— Nate (@cheersinnit) June 19, 2015

Rick Perry calls shootings an "Accident." This man is truly mentally deficient.

— DR (@pollbuster) June 20, 2015

I didn't think #RickPerry could say anything as stupid as "#CharlestonShooting was an accident" but now I know his stupidity knows no bounds

— WesleyZ3 (@50th_President) June 20, 2015

Because killing 9 people is an accident? Someone please take Rick Perry home and put him to bed, he's clearly drunk. pic.twitter.com/EmdXsZ5el8

— maggs || 150 days (@kidrauhlangels) June 20, 2015

The glasses! They do nothing! http://t.co/hGe3IFlsL4

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) June 19, 2015

Killer: It was about race. Rick Perry: It was an accident. Killer: I wanted to start a race war. Rick Perry: It was because of drugs!

— Will McAvoy (@WillMcAvoyACN) June 19, 2015

Rick Perry now saying he meant "incident" when describing Charleston shooting instead of "accident". Maybe he needs glasses for his tongue.

— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 19, 2015

I'm pretty sure Rick Perry was an accident caused by drugs.

— Joe Goes (@BadgeofShame) June 19, 2015

GOP hopeful Gov Rick Perry is so beholden to gun lobby he called shooting in SC drug induced "accident." http://t.co/tnHTYfjKAZ #gunviolence

— Leslie Absher (@LeslieAbsher) June 19, 2015

But sitting in on a bible study before leaving & returning to kill 9 Black bodies? That's no "accident". That's premeditated & terrorism.

— TRiLL CLiNTON (@iMadeSmartCool) June 19, 2015

@iMadeSmartCool It's fucking unbelievable. Perry even invoked that old bogeyman, illicit drugs.

— Nate (@cheersinnit) June 19, 2015

Rick Perry calls #CharlestonShooting "an accident" and it got worse from there. You can put glasses on a moron... http://t.co/ySXRr3D49Y

— Peter W. Singer (@peterwsinger) June 19, 2015

And it goes on and on and on. God bless the national embarrassment of Texas.