- Title: USA: Gun control debate rages in the wake of Connecticut school shooting
- Date: 17th December 2012
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 17, 2012) (4:3) (REUTERS) NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG APPROACHING PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG SAYING: "Last night the President said he would use whatever powers his office holds to address this violence and I think it is critical that he do so. Words alone cannot heal our nation, only action can do that. Gun violence is a national epidemic and a national tragedy that demands more than words. We are the only industrialized country that has this problem -- in the whole world the only one -- and that is why we need immediate national action from the President and from Congress. It should be at the top of their agenda, because what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School was sadly no aberration." WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BLOOMBERG SAYING: "If the massacre in Tucson was not enough to make our national leaders act and if the more recent bloodshed in Aurora, Colorado, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and in Portland, Oregon, and in others cities and towns wasn't enough, perhaps this slaughter of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School will at long last be enough. Millions of Americans hope that's true, but it's not enough for us to hope, we have to speak up. We have made our voices heard and hold Washington accountable for facing up to the epidemic of gun-violence in our country. If this moment passes into memory without action from Washington, it will be a stain upon our nation's commitment to protecting the innocent, including our children." BLOOMBERG LEAVING THE PRESS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 1st January 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVADDOHI9W41DSHQN3Y9Z7P9F2BD
- Story Text: Two days after the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, people across the United States are debating the contentious issue of gun control.
In Washington, pro-gun control demonstrators took to the streets in front of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) headquarters, chanting "shame on the NRA."
The NRA is usually at the forefront of efforts to combat stricter gun laws, saying that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees Americans' right to own weapons.
Also in Washington, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney fielded an array of questions over what President Barack Obama intends to do about gun control. Carney said Obama remains committed to addressing the issue, but understands that any solution will require a broad effort.
"It is a complex problem that will require a complex solution. No single piece of legislation, no single action will fully address the problem," Carney told members of the media.
He also rejected the idea that the country's passion for resolving the issue of gun violence will likely dissipate over the coming weeks, saying that such a horrific tragedy would not be forgotten so easily.
"It is hard to imagine people in any near term somehow forgetting the rawness of what happened on Friday. It is hard to think about twenty 6 and 7 year olds, and what happened to them on Friday, and imagine that in a few weeks or a few months, that pain not still be incredibly intense and present," Carney said.
Several lawmakers in Washington, including pro-gun Senator Joe Manchin, called for ways to curb military-style assault weapons like the one used last Friday (December 14) at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged the Obama Administration to take immediate action to address gun violence, saying that both the president and Congress needed to put the issue at the top of their agenda.
"Gun violence is a national epidemic and a national tragedy that demands more than words. We are the only industrialized country that has this problem -- in the whole world the only one -- and that is why we need immediate national action from the President and from Congress. It should be at the top of their agenda, because what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School was sadly no aberration," Bloomberg told members of the media at a press conference.
He also added that if Washington failed to act, it would be a stain the nation's "commitment to protecting the innocent." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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