Mass shootings spark gun control debate
By Bianca Buono
@BBuonoABC6
The gun- control debate is reigniting in the wake of this week’s mass shooting.
In a strange coincidence, moments before the tragedy in California, Congressman David Cicilline was once again calling for tougher gun laws. But not everyone agrees with his proposed solution like Paul Connolly, owner of Bullseye Shooting Supplies in Woonsocket. He was devastated to learn of another mass shooting.
"It’s awful I mean it’s just bad people. How can you go into a building and shoot innocent people for no reason,” said Paul Connolly, owner of Bullseye Shooting Supplies.
Now, many are questioning what can be done to stop this from happening. Some say the solution is simple: gun control. But for Connolly, that’s not the case.
"It’s definitely not a solution. Bad guys are bad guys. They’re already breaking the law. They’re going to get a firearm whether they have to steal it from the police, military a homeowner. They’re always going to be bad people and there’s no legislation that can stop that,” he said.
He’s not alone. The FBI announced that on Black Friday, more Americans had their backgrounds checked purchasing guns than any day on record.
"We were a contributor to that. We had a good day Friday and Saturday in the firearms end,” Connolly said.
Congressman David Cicilline is trying to put a stop to that. Wednesday, just moments before the atrocity in California, he said he plans to introduce legislation that calls for the re-authorization of a ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004.
"During the ten years this ban was in effect, localities reported as much as a 72 percent decline in gun crimes involving assault weapons,” Congressman David Cicilline explained.
But Connolly is not on board with that proposition.
"It’s just another foolish liberal attempt at impinging on firearms owners, you know the folks that own firearms, legitimately,” said Connolly.
In fact, he says taking away guns is the opposite of what could potentially stop these shootings.
"If one or two of the people in that building might have had a firearm, they could have changed the outcome,” Connolly said.
Connolly also mentioned that California is one of the strictest gun control states in the country. The guns used in Wednesday’s attack were reportedly legally purchased.
© WLNE-TV 2015
