Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 12:39 am
On the same day it was reported that a New Mexico teenager shot and killed 5 people including 3 children, Republican Sen. John Barrasso said on CNN that gun safety isn’t a ‘major issue.’
Transcript from CNN State of the Union:
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CROWLEY: So, what big things? What big thing is going to get done?
BARRASSO: Specifically, have to deal with the debt, we’re at $16 trillion. You want to continue with the social safety net: the good, the bad and the ugly parts of that, you have to have a vibrant economy. You have to have growth of the economy. But I need to see policies that will actually do that. We don’t see them now.
CROWLEY: I spoke with David Plouffe in the segment before this. And he said that he is confident that there are enough votes in the House. And there are there requisite 60 votes in the Senate to pass universal background checks for gun owners and limiting the clips, those high- capacity magazine clips that I can fire of so many rounds to 10 and under. Do you think that’s so? Do you think congress would pass a ban on those clips with ten or over and a universal background check is that going to happen?
BARRASSO: No, I don’t think it will. And Candy, that gets beside the major issues this face American families which are jobs and the economy…
Meanwhile, it was reported today a New Mexico teen shot and killed 2 adults and children in a house outside of Albuquerque late Saturday night local time. Details are still being put together, but have authorities said that, “Each victim had been shot multiple times. Several guns were found inside the home, including a “military-style” rifle he said had been used in the crime.”
This disconnect between these two events demonstrates just how far out of touch with reality, some Republicans are on the issue of guns. While Barrasso was repeating his rehash of Mitt Romney’s failed talking point that the only thing the American people care about is the economy, three more children were killed in a mass shooting.
Sen. Barrasso is in for some bad news if he thinks this issue is going to blow over. Republicans can cling to their NRA talking points, but the mood of the country is the polar opposite of where the NRA is at. Republicans have been out of touch with rest of the country for years, but their opposition to common sense gun reforms could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Whether the question is fair or not, Republicans are going to soon start being asked, how many children are going to have to die before you take this issue seriously?
(Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify the time of the shootings.)
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
