Virginia Gov. McAuliffe pushes gun control after Alexandria shooting
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe turned the conversation to gun control during a press conference with law enforcement officers following the shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., on Wednesday.
Asked whether he thinks more should be done to protect politicians, McAuliffe said, “I think we need to do more to protect all of our citizens,” adding, “This is not what today is about, but there are too many guns on the street.”
“We lose 93 million Americans a day to gun violence,” the governor continued — later clarifying that he meant to say “93 individuals a day.”
Related slideshow: Shooting at GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Va. >>>
The gunman, who has been identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, of Illinois, opened fire on members of the Republican congressional baseball team during their early-morning practice. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was among five people who were reportedly injured in the shooting.
McAuliffe, a Democrat, has been a staunch proponent of tougher gun laws, signing a package of bipartisan state gun bills last year that tightened restrictions on gun sales to domestic abusers and provided for voluntary background checks at gun shows, while expanding the rights of concealed-carry permit holders.
Hodgkinson was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend in 2006.
“I’ve long talked about this, background checks, shutting down gun-show loopholes,” McAuliffe told reporters Wednesday. “That’s not for today’s discussion, but it’s not just about politicians. We worry about this every day for all of our citizens.”
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