Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal says the shootings in his home state have created a “tectonic movement politically” that will help get meaningful new gun laws passed in Congress.
“I’m confident that we are in a different era when it comes to gun violence prevention,” he said on PoliticsNation. “This slaughter of children, really of babies, was so brutal, and so inhumane, horrible, unspeakable, unimaginable until it occurred… that I think it has elicited a different kind of response from the more moderate and thoughtful of Republicans or Democrats.”
He sees an assault weapons ban, a limit on high capacity ammunition clips, and mental health intervention as likely pieces of legislation. He came out forcefully in favor of the weapons ban, pointing to the classroom massacres perpetrated by an item that was “designed very simply to kill many human beings.”
Blumenthal sees pro-gun Democrats like Virginia’s Mark Warner and West Virginia Joe Manchin as key allies to help “reach across the aisle” and find support from Republicans who may be hesitant to find common ground on some gun issues. He did not discuss any fears that pro-gun-control efforts might not be thwarted by opponents on the right. The Senator also emphasized that any legislation that would be pursued wouldn’t just help suburban communities in Connecticut like Newtown, but also the urban areas riddled with violence as well. “We are failing our children, and it’s not just the children of one community,” he said. “It is all across the country and it is not just one race or ethnic background.”
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