On Thursday’s “CNN News Central,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) responded to arguments that Minnesota has strict gun control laws and those didn’t prevent the shooting in the state by saying the state “has taken really important steps to reduce gun violence, and I’m proud of that. But there are only so many things that an individual state can do, because guns pour into Minneapolis and Minnesota from all other parts of the country.” But acknowledged that the shooter bought the firearms legally in Minnesota.
Co-host Boris Sanchez said, “[W]e hear about the potential for some kind of gun control legislation to pass. I do want to point out that Minnesota has several gun laws on the books. They’re actually, compared to a national level, fairly extensive. You require background checks. There are extreme risk laws, mandatory waiting periods, as well as requirements around secure storage, prohibitions on bump stocks and Glock switches. You also can’t possess guns if you’ve committed a felony, a hate crime, or domestic abuse. There are also no guns allowed in K-12 schools. As we’ve heard often from opponents of these kinds of laws, they argue that gun laws are ineffective because, even with all of this in place, we still see horrendous acts. What would you say in response to that?”
Smith responded, “Well, my home state has taken really important steps to reduce gun violence, and I’m proud of that. But there are only so many things that an individual state can do, because guns pour into Minneapolis and Minnesota from all other parts of the country. And so, I think we have to be realistic about what has to happen at the federal level. And, listen, there is no one simple solution to this problem, but there is one reality, which is that the number one cause of fatality for young people in this country between 1 and 19 [is] firearms. We have more guns in this country than we have people. And this is a choice that we are making in our country. No one thing is going to solve this, but we can’t just sit back and say, oh, there’s nothing we can do, because those kids at Annunciation School and kids in schools all over the country deserve way better than that.”
Sanchez then said, “I do want to point out, according to the police chief there in Minneapolis, the shooter did purchase the guns legally in the state. They had no previous arrests or significant signs of mental health issues”, which Smith acknowledged.
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