'We Can And Must Take Action': Local Leaders Call For Ban Of Assault Weapons, Stricter Gun Laws In Wake Of Recent Mass Shootings
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Leaders in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are calling for the ban of assault weapons and stricter gun laws in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend. The shootings claimed the lives of more than 30 people and left dozens injured.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf tweeted, "Many ills contribute to this rising violence. We can and must take action."
He went on to add, "We can ban assault weapons and institute stricter background checks. We can make communities safer. We can target white nationalism and promote tolerance. We can invest in mental health care and help those struggling. We cannot accept this violence as normal. We must act."
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued a statement, saying in part, "The domestic terrorist attacks in El Paso and Dayton, and last week's attack in Gilroy, ought to be the wake-up calls to pull our national leaders out of the gun lobby's trance."
Senator Pat Toomey said "We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of psychopaths" and called for Congress to "act to help keep our communities safer. We should start by passing bipartisan proposals such as my legislation with Senator Joe Manchin to expand background checks to all commercial firearm sales."
Senator Bob Casey tweeted, "Once again, our nation is confronted with a mass shooting. As we all pray for El Paso, those of us in public office have an obligation to do more and take action on gun violence."
Casey also issued the following statement:
"Enough. We don't have to live like this. Politicians who refuse to take action to reduce gun violence are complicit in this carnage. If we're going to truly confront this uniquely American problem, we have to speak uncomfortable truths. Over and over again, domestic terrorists use high powered, military-style assault weapons to kill our children and our families. There are a whole range of steps that must be taken. Congress's first priority must be passing universal background checks, limiting the size of magazines and banning military-style assault weapons, among other measures. Senate Majority Leader McConnell should immediately call the Senate back to Washington this week to debate and vote on universal background check legislation that was passed by the House in February. We also have to confront the white nationalist ideology that has inspired some of the terrorist attacks we have seen. On July 23, 2019, FBI Director Wray testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that "a majority of the domestic terrorism cases that we've investigated are motivated by some version of what you might call white supremacist violence." Over the last few years, we have seen a rise in hate crimes and we need to be honest about why. We have a President of the United States that uses white nationalist rhetoric and engages in racism. From its early days, the Trump Administration has sought to limit funding to groups dedicated to countering white extremism going as far as revoking grants previously awarded under the Obama Administration and cutting off funding for the future."
Representative Scott Perry tweeted, "God bless the victims and their loved ones of these senseless acts of violence and cowardice. #Dayton #ElPaso #Gilroy"
