Virginia Senator Mark Warner is joining some of his fellow pro-gun Democrats in calling on lawmakers to tighten gun laws.
“Listen, I have been a long-time supporter of Second-Amendment rights. I got an ‘A’ rating from the N-R-A and I absolutely believe that Americans have a right to reasonable gun ownership…but I also know after this enormous tragedy coming not that long after the tragedy at Virginia Tech when my daughters asked me Friday night, ‘Dad, you’re in the Senate. Why can’t we put reasonable restrictions on assault weapons or these rapid fire ammunition clips?’ I didn’t have a good enough answer for them and so I – even as an NRA ‘A’ rated member – believe enough is enough. We all need to come to come to the table and end up with an appropriate restrictions. Now, what they play out to be, that is part of the process.”
“Today is the day of the first funeral so, you know, to come out with a specific plan today isn’t the time. But-I hope and pray that every member, regardless of their party realizes that in this moment of national tragedy when these kindergarten kids were massacred that we can put aside the ‘R’s’ and ‘D’s’ and realize there is a reasonable approach to restrict access to some of the most violent of these weapons, still preserve second amendment rights…but also recognize we have to take a big, fresh look as well at intervention on mental health issues because as we’ve seen time and again, a combination of somebody who’s got a mental illness with an assault weapon or other weapon that has a rapid-fire capability spells disaster.”
