House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) is pinning the blame for America’s gun violence epidemic on Democrats and the “defund the police” movement.
Scalise told ‘Fox News Sunday’ guest host John Roberts that the reason why the United States has a higher rate of gun violence when compared to the rest of the world is because of the “defund the police” movement and local DAs who are soft on violent criminals.
“You look at America in the last couple of years, you’re seeing this crazy ‘defund the police’ movement. But you’ve also seen a movement that’s been going on for a few years in big cities where the [district attorneys] aren’t even prosecuting criminals until it is a shooting,” he said.
“They’re letting criminals back out on the streets and inevitably what you see is higher rates of crime,” Scalise continued. “And what you’re also seeing is more and more American citizens, law abiding citizens, buying guns to defend themselves.”
A bipartisan group of senators have developed a framework for a gun control legislation following a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas last month that left 19 children and two teachers dead. It includes expanding background checks and red flag laws which allow authorities to confiscate firearms from people deemed to be threats to themselves or to others. The measure also includes funding for mental health services and school security.
However, Scalise, told Roberts he opposes red flag laws and said Congress should address mental health and other societal factors that cause mass shootings instead.
