Following multiple mass shootings in California, several states and Democratic lawmakers began pushing for restrictive gun laws.
Over the last month, gunmen have killed 24 people in California during three separate mass shooting events. Following the first two mass shootings, Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont proposed restrictions Monday on the open carry of firearms and the number of weapons that can be purchased per month, while the Democratic-controlled Virginia state Senate passed legislation, SB 1382, to ban the purchase, possession, sale and transfer of so-called “assault weapons” in the state. Other lawmakers and advocacy groups have called for federal action to ban so-called “assault weapons” while many California state lawmakers have hinted that they plan to introduce further gun control measures in the state.
“It’s our responsibility to implement policies that keep our homes and our neighborhoods safe, and we have to take every opportunity to keep our residents protected. These common sense reforms will protect our neighborhoods and the people who live in them,” Lamont said.
Democratic Virginia state Sen. Joe Morrissey, who co-sponsored SB 1382, believes that the “assault weapon” legislation will be opposed by “very law-abiding, good, decent people,” but noted that the bill is necessary to stop mass shootings, according to Cardinal News.
“I hope there’s an eye to folks realizing that if we don’t do something, these mass shootings will continue unabated. That’s the goal, to stop the carnage in the commonwealth of Virginia, and I think this bill helps us towards that end,” he said.
Surrounded by the mayors of some of Connecticut’s largest cities, Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday rolled out his latest pitch for tougher gun laws — including one proposal that has put him at odds with fellow Democrats in the past: https://t.co/sSiO0jP12D
— John Moritz (@JohnMoritz18) January 24, 2023
Following the Monterey Park mass shooting Saturday, Democratic California Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park, called the shooting “one of the worst mass shootings in L.A. County,” stating that “We have to take actions to make sure that people are safe in America,” according to CBS News. (RELATED: ‘I Am Going To Get Assault Weapons Banned’: Biden Pledges To Go After Guns During MLK Day Speech)
Chu, a member of the gun safety caucus in Congress, is working on gun control legislation that would “take guns out of dangerous people’s hands,” according to CBS News. “I want to say to those who are resistant to these gun safety laws: Protect America. Protect your fellow neighbors. You don’t know if the next person could be your loved one,” she said.
Democratic Monterey Park Assembly Member Mike Fong plans to push for stronger gun control laws and funding for violence prevention, but did offer specific plans to do so, according to CalMatters.
“Nothing about this is surprising. Everything about this is infuriating. The Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom told CBS Evening News.
Newsom noted that mental health plays a role in mass shootings, saying that he is “really proud of the work we’ve done in this space, but we’ve had decades of neglect in this space.”
“California has adopted some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. The 72 year old alleged gunman ignored virtually all of them, along with the statute against murder,” Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) Founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “If anything, this crime demonstrates that the Golden State does not need another stricter gun control law, but instead needs to take a hard look at the laws already in place to determine why anybody would think any of those laws would prevent determined individuals from committing mass mayhem.”
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