The Hill News

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg does not blame Sarah Palin â€" or any other political figure â€" for the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

"I don't know whether I would blame â€" I don't think I'd blame Sarah Palin or any other individual," Bloomberg said according to The New York Daily News. "We should be talking to each other more and have more civility."

Bloomberg, an independent who has identified himself in the past as both a Republican and Democrat, is the founder of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition and an outspoken advocate of tighter gun restrictions. He is also a supporter of Rep. Peter King's (R-N.Y.) proposal to ! ban guns within 1,000 feet of members of Congress.

Since the shooting, some have accused Palin of being partially responsible because of rhetoric and sometimes violent imagery, including a map depicting crosshairs over the districts of 20 House members. One of those crosshairs was trained on Giffords's district.

Bloomberg stressed that the motivation of the shooter remained unclear but that it probably had nothing to do with that map.

"I don't think any of that had anything to do with this, but I don't know the facts, and who knows what will eventually come out with this man? What I do know is that six people are dead and others are seriously wounded, and our prayers go out to the families and those that are injured,” Bloomberg said.