Philadelphia police chief on gun control: Lawmakers lack the courage to do anything
July 22, 2012
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey on Sunday said gun control was needed in the wake of the mass shooting in Colorado, but was pessimistic about its chances.
"For me the question has been, you know, what will change as far as any gun control legislation in the wake of Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Ft. Hood -- I mean, the list goes on and on. And unfortunately, in my opinion, the answer is absolutely nothing," he said on ABC News' This Week. "There will be a lot of talk, there will be a lot of discussion, there will be some debate. But this will fade into the background, like all those other instances that have occurred, unfortunately, and people will just go on and continue to be able to get their hands on guns and continue to inappropriately use those guns to commit violent acts on the streets of our cities."
Last week, an armed gunman opened fire in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing at least 12 and wounding 58 others. The victims range in age from 6 to 51 years old. The mass shooting has renewed debate on gun control legislation.
The alleged shooter, James Holmes, had tear gas canisters, an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle with a 100-round magazine, two Glock handguns, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and wore a full suit of black tactical body armor. Ramsey said it was unlikely another armed person in the crowd could have prevented the mass shooting.
"The debate goes beyond just this one incident, but this guy had body armor from head to toe," he explained. "You had tear gas in there, and unfortunately, many states, and I don't know about Colorado, but many states that authorize concealed carry have no provisions at all for people to receive training, marksmanship, proper handling of firearms, or whatever. So now you got two people randomly shooting in a movie theater. I don't know how that helps."
Ramsey said he didn't support banning guns, but insisted reasonable regulations and restrictions could prevent gun violence.
"There needs to be reasonable gun control put in place. And we talk about this constantly, and absolutely nothing happens, because many of our legislators, unfortunately, at the federal level, lack the courage to do anything."
Watch video, courtesy of ABC News, below:
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