MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The shooting in Boulder comes a little more than three years since the tragedy in Parkland, and the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting before that. There have been calls for major gun reform each time. Yet, little has changed.
Ten lives were claimed in the Boulder shooting, where a gunman opened fire at a supermarket.
“And that’s why we need to act. And that’s why we can’t just shake our head and say that’s one more thing and move on and wait for the next one,” said Rep. Ted Deutch.
Deutch, the chief whip on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, echoed President Joe Biden’s thoughts.
He’s urged a ban on assault-style weapons as well as broadening background check to include mental health evaluations.
“Urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act. We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity weapons in this country,” Biden said.
The president’s comments as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun violence.
“Every time there is a shooting we play this ridiculous theater,” said Sen. Ted Cruz.
“To say lives are theater, and it hits really hard. What these families have gone through and continue to go through is something no one should ever have to experience,” said Deutch.
And Deutch points out that the young movement from Parkland students changed laws in Florida, which means their voice can change laws nationally.
“Starting with the young people in South Florida, who rose up after the Stoneman Douglas shooting, who said we’re tired of seeing our friends shot beside us, killed in their classrooms,” he said. “And they built a movement around the country, and it’s a gun safety movement that gave a gun safety majority in the House, now in the Senate. Joe Biden’s in the White House. We need to take advantage of that.”
CBS4’s Keith Jones questioned Deutch, asking what’s the hold up since the House and Senate have a Democratic majority.
“Well, it shouldn’t be so difficult, but I would hope you would be able to have a chance to ask Sen. [Marco] Rubio that or ask Sen. [Rick] Scott that. They represent the same people I do in South Florida, who are still reeling from a mass shooting from three years ago and yet they refuse to do anything to save lives,” he said.
A Pew research poll suggests 87% of American’s support expanded gun sales background checks on private sales and gun shows.
