Politicians must focus on gun safety, rather than on gun control measures, Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., told MSNBC Wednesday, according to the Washington Examiner.
Speaking exactly one week after a teenage gunman slaughtered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, said, "this isn't about gun control. It isn't. We have to stop talking about that."
"Ask politicians, ask people who represent their constituents if they support school safety, if they support public safety, if they support taking action to prevent more slaughters like the one that happened in Parkland from happening anyplace else," Deutch continued. "That's the way this debate has to go, and because of these kids, I think that's the way it's going to start being addressed."
But Deutch also predicted Congress would act now because this time "feels different."
"This time, I have to tell you, this time it feels different. Not just because it's personal for me but because of what these kids are projecting around the world," Deutch said.
After years of failing to get gun control measures through Congress, many Democrats have changed tactics and begun pushing for bills to promote gun safety. Republicans, traditional opponents of gun control measures, stress mental health issues instead of banning certain weapons or making it harder for people to buy guns.
President Donald Trump, always a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, has, in recent days, urged lawmakers to strengthen background checks and told the Justice Department to investigate ways to ban bump stocks, which essentially turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones.
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