Ed Rendell Wants Gun Control In Light Of Sandy Hook Tragedy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Last week's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut has brought the issue of gun control to the forefront once again.
Former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell spoke with 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show Tuesday regarding his thoughts on whether the incident is likely to bring about new gun control laws.
"I said [in my book], what it is going to take for us to roll up our sleeves and say enough is enough," Rendell said. "And Tuscon wasn't enough, and then the 'Batman' killed all those people in Aurora, Colorado in a movie theater, that wasn't enough. Now, because this is involving little children, maybe this is the tipping point, but there are simple things, and if you tell me that nothing we do can rule out evil by a demented person, totally rule it out, you're absolutely right. Nothing we can do can zero it out, but can we make a difference at the margin? Sure we can. Let's start with banning high capacity magazines, those clips that go in the guns. No more than 10 bullets in a clip.
LISTEN: Ed Rendell with Angelo Cataldi
Number two, get rid of these assault riffles. Nobody needs it to hunt, nobody needs it to protect their home, just like nobody needs a clip that has more than 10 bullets. Those are two easy ones that the American people support. Next, 40 percent of the guns in this country, Angelo [Cataldi] are purchased without a background check on the buyer. They're purchased at gun shows, it is called a gun show loophole, or they're purchased online. Someone who has been in and out of a mental institution three times, can go online and get himself a gun without any check," Rendell said.
"Lastly, let's tighten up the reporting requirements. States are not reporting people with mental illnesses to the national insta-check [the National Instant Criminal Background Check] system and when they don't report it, like the case with 'Batman', he doesn't get on the register and he can go in and buy a gun legally. Is all that going to stop these mass killings? No. But it is going to reduce the number of them and reduce the level of the carnage? Absolutely yes, " Rendell said. "One lady, a mother of one of the twenty kids, said after the service Sunday night, if we can get some sensible laws on possession of firearms and these crazy weapons, then these twenty kids may not have died in vain."
