Sunday, December 16, 2012

U.S. Rep. Ron Barber: "We Must Take Action To Deal With the Easy Availability of Assault Weapons and Extended Magazines"

Posted By on Sun, Dec 16, 2012 at 2:03 PM

Congressman Ron Barber addresses the Sandy Hook massacre in today's Arizona Republic:

On Friday in Tucson, police were at my grandchildren's school as a precautionary measure. It was an important action to ensure their safety, but nonetheless scared my little ones and their parents. We must not stand by and let our children be put in harm's way again.

Sadly, those of us in Tucson understand what the people of Newtown are going through today and what lies ahead. We know that it is impossible to make sense of the senseless. And we know that in the end, a community tragedy such as this has the potential to bring people closer together in the common search for answers.

I don't have all the answers. There is no single law that we can write, no single regulation that we can impose, no single process that we can put in place that will address the many problems that come together to cause such a horrifying tragedy.

But some of the pieces are laid out before us.

I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms — but we must take action to deal with the easy availability of assault weapons and extended magazines.

We must take action to prevent people who are a danger to themselves and others from getting access to these weapons.

We must not wait any longer to address this crisis. But we must also recognize that these issues are not the only pieces in a complex problem to which there is no single answer.

Mark Kelly is also urging action on gun laws:


I just woke up in my hotel room in Beijing, China to learn that another mass shooting has taken place - this time at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in CT. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the entire community of Newtown, CT. I just spoke to Gabby, and she sends her prayers from Tucson.

As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws - and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait.
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