Md. Org. Calling For Stricter Gun Laws After Tragic TV Shooting
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A Maryland organization is calling for stricter gun laws following a tragic on-air shooting that left two journalists dead and a woman injured earlier this week in Virginia.
The "Maryland Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Violence" delivered a letter to WJZ on Saturday, expressing their condolences for the Virginia CBS affiliate WDBJ.
The "Moms Demand Action For Gun Violence" is a grassroots movement for American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence.
The organization campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of children and families.
But the Maryland organization isn't the only one who's speaking out.
The Roanoke shooting that left Alison Parker and Adam Ward dead reignited the debate over guns among 2016 presidential contenders.
"We've got to do something about gun violence in America, and I will take it on," Clinton told CBS News on Wednesday at an event in Iowa. The country, Clinton argued, should be able "to balance the legitimate second amendment rights with preventive measures and control measures, so that whatever motivated this murderer who eventually took his own life, we will not see more deaths, needless senseless deaths."
The republicans disagree on the issue, stating that the key is better enforcement of existing gun laws and attention to mental health issues.
"We should be doing more about mental health in this country. The fact is that we need to have more information about people's mental health backgrounds. But we don't need new laws in this country to be able to do that. We have laws that exist now. We just need to enforce the ones that we do have," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Christie said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday.
Mental health issues raise the controversial question, how can anyone stop a massacre when no one seems to be close enough to notice hints of looming violence?
41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan managed to never cross that line.
According to the Associated Press, Flanagan had never been arrested for a felony, had no criminal record, no records he was ever committed for psychiatric care , or even had been the subject of a restraining order.
Personal accounts of the troubled gunman tell a different story.
"He was a volatile man who had trouble making friends and would get angry at the slightest perceived insult, said Justin McLeod, a former reporter at WDBJ, who at one time, worked with Flanagan.
McLeod described his former coworker as having a " Jekyll and Hyde " type personality.
Chris Hurst, a WDBJ-TV anchor who was Parker's boyfriend, said he and his colleagues wondered in hindsight if there wasn't more they could have done for Flanagan "to extend him love."
"But he needed, at the time, to be pushed away, because he was not someone who was helping our station and helping our newsroom," Hurst said. "But I wonder if I had said the right combination of words to him whether that might have tried to light a spark of change."
On Friday, the father of the slain TV reporter said he will make it his mission to try and change gun laws.
Andy Parker said he supports stronger gun laws and says people at gun shows should have to a background check before they can make purchases.
According to WDBJ, Vicki Gardner, who was also injured in the shooting, was in good condition and showing amazing strength.
Scholarships have been setup in both Alison and Adam's name. To learn how you can help CLICK HERE.
