Governors differ on gun control , school security
As the U.S. mourns the victims of its latest mass shooting — 19 elementary school students and two teachers gunned down in Texas — Democratic governors are amplifying their calls for greater restrictions on guns.
Many Republican governors are emphasizing a different solution: more security at schools.
The divide among the nation’s governors mirrors a partisan split that has stymied action in Congress and many state capitols over how best to respond to a recordhigh number of gun-related deaths in the U.S. The political differences tap deep into the country’s roots, highlighting the tensions between life, liberty and the constitutional rights spelled out in the nation’s founding documents.
After the massacre Tues- day at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, The Associated Press asked governors whether they believed their states have an obligation to reduce mass shootings and violence com- mitted with guns and, if so, how to do that.
About half the governor’s offices responded. There was agreement that they had a responsibility to try to do something. Democrats and Republicans alike men- tioned the need to invest in mental health services and training to try to help people potentially prone to a violent outburst.
But the commonality generally ended after that.
Should people younger than 21 be prohibited from buying semi-automatic guns? Should ammunition magazines be limited to 10 bullets?
Many Democratic governors said “yes.”
“If you’re not serious about guns, you’re not serious about crime prevention. I think that’s more true today than ever before,” said Dem- ocratic Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, where 20 students and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elemen- tary School a decade ago.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he supports lim- its on bullet capacities and the purchase of semi-automatic weapons. He rallied Friday with gun-con- trol advocates in Philadelphia while denouncing his state’s Republican-led Leg- islature for not passing his gun proposals.
“They would rather cave in cravenly to the gun man- ufacturing lobby than pass commonsense legislation that would keep children from dying,” Wolf said.
Among Republican governors who responded to the AP, only Vermont’s Phil Scott expressed support for such gun control efforts. Scott signed a law in 2018 limiting the capacity of magazines and raising the age to buy guns to 21, with exceptions for 18- to 20-year-olds who undergo a safety course.
Other Republican governors either sidestepped the AP’s questions about specific gun-control measures or said they opposed them. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy was a firm “no” on setting bullet limits or age restrictions that could infringe on constitutional rights.
“Stricter gun laws are not a solution to this problem — we must focus our attention on the status of mental health in our communities,” Dunleavy’s office said in email.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he would not endorse such gun-control proposals, because he believes they have no chance of passing in the state’s GOP-led Legislature. DeWine, a Republican, instead proposed spending “a significant amount of money” on efforts to ensure schools are protected. He didn’t outline exactly what that security would entail.
Republican governors were more likely to support efforts to strengthen security at schools. The AP asked about proposals to arm teachers and staff with firearms, add security guards or secure schools with such things as metal detectors and fencing.