House Minority Whip Steve Scalise questioned the merits of proposed solutions to mass shootings, saying he does not believe “red-flag” laws or background checks would have stopped the man who shot him in 2017.
“He just kind of went off the grid. And what are you gonna do about that? What law are you gonna pass that’s gonna address that? In the end, all you end up doing is seeing more and more attempts to take away rights from law-abiding citizens,” the Louisiana Republican said Friday on Fox’s America’s Newsroom.
When asked specifically about “red-flag” laws, Scalise said there really were not any red flags that the government could have caught before the shooting at a congressional baseball practice.
“Nobody was to blame except the shooter in these mass shootings,” he added.
Scalise, 53, said current legislation being suggested in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, will not solve the problem and are only “attempts to take away rights from law-abiding citizens.”
Trump has signaled he will support legislation broadening background checks for gun purchases and passing a “red-flag” law.
“I will tell you I spoke to Mitch McConnell yesterday. He’s totally on board. He said, ‘I’ve been waiting for your call.’ He is totally on board,” the president said Friday about background check legislation.
