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Pa. GOP gubernatorial candidate calls for death penalty for school shooters

by Jacqueline Thomsen - 02/26/18 8:41 PM ET

Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner said he would push for a mandatory death penalty for school shooters responsible for any deaths, The Associated Press reported.

“If someone kills one of our children, we will kill them,” Wagner said at an appearance at the Pennsylvania Press Club on Monday.

Wagner, a current member of the state Senate, said he would be introducing a bill that creates “no plea bargains, no life sentences and no mercy” for school shooters.

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“I have a very bold message for any coward who is deranged enough to consider attacking our children at school: When I am governor, these cowards will pay the ultimate price,” he said.

Wagner’s comments come after a mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school earlier this month left 17 people dead.

The GOP candidate also attempted to use the proposed law to attack his opponent, Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who has placed a moratorium on executions in the state.

“Tom Wolf would prioritize the life of an evil school shooter over the lives of innocent school children, over those who grieve for them and over those who sought to protect them,” Wagner said.

However, legal experts told the AP that mandatory death penalties are unconstitutional.

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“There is absolutely no question that mandatory death sentences are unconstitutional, and any law that attempts to institute a mandatory death penalty would be struck down as unconstitutional,” Robert Dunham of the Death Penalty Information Center told the AP.

Wagner is running against Paul Mango and Laura Ellsworth for the GOP nomination.