The Democrat who represents the district in which the Aurora shooting occurred said Congress won’t be able to avoid the gun-control issue in the wake of the tragedy.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) also said on CBS’ Face the Nation that he would align himself with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), one of the most strident gun-control advocates in the House.
Perlmutter said he isn’t really hearing much from his constituents right now about gun control, “although I can tell you I pulled out of my driveway yesterday and a lady was walking her dog, and she said, ‘This has gone too far; we have got to do something.'”
“And so, you know, the mayor saying this is all on the president’s back or the presidential candidates’ back, Romney and President Obama — I think this is really a congressional issue that has to be dealt with,” he said.
“You know, should we reinstate the assault weapons ban? I think we should, and I think that’s where it starts. We ought to be taking a look at how this guy was able to accumulate so much ammunition. He had enough ammunition for, like, a small army. I mean, this is — there’s something wrong about that,” Perlmutter said.
“So to that point, the mayor’s correct. But I think he’s putting his finger on the wrong spot. This is a congressional issue.”
McCarthy, who got into politics after her husband was killed in a 1993 mass shooting on Long Island, said on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday that there are “a lot of myths” about politicians losing on gun-control issues.
“And I always look at it this way, no one from the NRA is ever going to vote for me. They’re just not. They might even come after me on other issues,” she said. “But the thing of it is, as a politician, a lot of politicians know it’s the right thing to try to fight for something to save lives. They don’t have the spine anymore. They pander to who’s giving them money.”
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