CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) on potential future gun legislation following the Nashville elementary school shooting this week, but the senator rejected this and declared Congress has “gone about as far as we’re going to with gun control.”
On Monday, a shooter was gunned down by police after entering an elementary school and taking the lives of three children and three staff members. Collins asked Rounds on Wednesday’s CNN This Morning if he would would support new legislation as numerous activists have called for in the wake of the tragedy.
“There isn’t anybody here that, if they could find the right approach, wouldn’t try to do something because they feel that pain and yet when we start talking bans or challenges on the Second Amendment, I think the things that have already been done have gone about as far as we’re going to with gun control,” Rounds said.
According to the senator, the best course of action is to allocate more money for schools to beef up security and make them harder targets to enter. Collins was shocked Rounds would not support any legislative actions, including red flag laws in Tennessee. The senator argued red flag laws based on mental health (police say the Nashville shooter was dealing with an emotional disorder) could unfairly target some, including veterans.
“It’s pretty stark to hear you say that you don’t think there’s anything else legislatively that Congress can do when it comes to guns,” Collins said.
Rounds again reiterated that he doesn’t believe now is the right time to discuss new legislation, especially when other new regulations have yet to be implemented, and he once again made his argument to beef up school security.
“I’m not prepared to start talk about implementing more stuff when we know right now that we could be making schools safer than what they are today, if they had the resources to do so,” he said.
