New Bay Area Congressmen Vow To Tackle Gun Control
WASHINGTON (KCBS) - The 113th Congress of the United States was sworn in Thursday, including two freshmen Representatives from the Bay Area, who both say they intend to pursue stricter gun control once the debt ceiling debate has been resolved.
Congressman Jared Huffman, representing the North Bay, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, who replaces East Bay Congressman Pete Stark, both said they intend to be original co-sponsors of a bill banning assault weapons.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
New Bay Area Congressmen Vow To Tackle Gun Control, Debt Ceiling
"Certainly I want to do something on gun control in the wake of this Sandy Hook tragedy. I expect to be part of a bipartisan group that supports an assault weapons ban and a ban on high capacity ammunition clips," Huffman said.
He also acknowledged how much the national focus on gun control because of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut would be overshadowed by the fiscal debate that has divided Washington.
"The debt ceiling is coming. We've got large pieces of the fiscal cliff that remain to be dealt with and it's probably going to be job number one for the next couple of months," Huffman said.
Rep. John Boehner was narrowly re-elected House speaker, with some disgruntled Republicans casting protest ballots for other candidates, which Huffman said underscores the discontent that has made consensus on economic issues among Republican lawmakers so difficult.
"He's limping into his speakership, and I think that speaks to a very divided and fractured Republican caucus right now," Huffman said.
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