Dem senator: Congress hasn’t done enough to protect kids from guns

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) called on Congress to pass gun control bills.

Casey wrote an op-ed for the Philadelphia Enquirer on the same week as the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn.

{mosads}“I cannot in good conscience believe that Congress has satisfied our duty to ensure safety for our nation’s children,” Casey wrote. “Congress owes it to those who have been affected by firearm violence to consider each proposal fully. I refuse to believe that nothing more can be done.”

Last year, the Senate failed to pass legislation what would have required background checks on all gun sales. Casey said commonsense measures such as that should be passed and that they wouldn’t interfere with citizen’s Second Amendment rights.

The senator pointed out that there have been nearly 100 more school shootings since Sandy Hook.

“The numbers are staggering, and the refusal of some in Congress to take action is inexcusable,” Casey wrote. “We cannot afford to wait for another tragedy to revisit this issue — every day that passes is an opportunity. Congress should take this opportunity, and act with the urgency our children deserve.”

Casey said Congress should consider gun control legislation that would strengthen the background check process, ban certain high-capacity weapons and authorize research on gun violence and mental health issues.