The Washington Times reports that the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania’s special congressional election is breaking stride from fellow members of his party’s call for more gun control measures in wake of the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead and many more injured.
Connor Lamb, the Democratic nominee against GOP candidate Rick Saccone in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional district special election, advocated for more focus on mental health and enforcing existing laws at a campaign stop yesterday.
“No parent should ever drop their child off at school and be afraid they won’t be alive at the end of the day,” Mr. Lamb said. “My heart breaks for those families in Florida and, in Congress, I will work to make sure that people with serious mental illnesses do not have access to guns.”
According to Tribune Live, Lamb said, “I believe we have a pretty good law on the books and it says on paper that there are a lot of people who should never get guns in their hands." Adding, “And we know that the background check system is not achieving that result. What I think it's going to take is people in Congress who are willing to do more than just talk, who are willing to actually work together and stay late, if it requires that, and do some things that would really produce change.”
Lamb again emphasized the need for a focus on mental health, saying, “I think that the emotions that a lot of us are feeling right now are very raw because we know that there's not one thing we can do with the stroke of a pen or one thing you can ban,” he said. “We need a comprehensive answer on mental health.”
The National Rifle Associated has endorsed his Republican opponent. The election will be held on March 13, 2018.