Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins will not favor any compromise when it comes to gun laws. The Congressman announced Friday that he will go to Washington this week to help pass through a comprehensive package and plan which includes banning assault weapons.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gun violence is leading cause of death for children. 110 Americans die every single day of gun violence," said the Congressman.
The Congressman mentions Aaron Salter, the security guard and former Buffalo policeman who returned fire back at the 18-year-old shooter at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue as a good guy with a gun who couldn't stop the racist act of Gendron.
"Someone once said to me that the best way to stop a bad guy with the gun is a good guy with a gun. Aaron Salter was a good guy with a gun, a 30-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department and he was helpless in protecting more people. He avoided many, many deaths because of his courage, because of his commitment but, it's a sad commentary in our society in this nation that our police are outgunned by white supremacists who have one intent, hate and destruction of our people. It cannot be tolerated," said Congressman Higgins.
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He also addressed the swift time it takes for someone with an assault weapon to carry out their destruction.
"Think about this for a moment. Tops Market on May 14, the shooting started at 2:30. It ended at 2:36. Six minutes, one shooter, 13 people shot and 10 people dead. Sandy Hook in 2012, the shooting started at 9:35 in the morning. It was completed at 9:40. Five minutes, one shooter and 26 people dead, including 20 kids. The common denominator here is an assault weapon, which is not designed for hunting. We have 330 million people in America and 400 million guns. What are we doing if we can't protect their own? All of us our work is useless. So let's commit ourselves on this day, this declaration, to change the trajectory of gun violence in America," said Higgins.
In terms of bipartisanship, the Congressman sees some but not many on the other side of the party supporting an assault weapon ban. Republican Congressman Chris Jacobs came out in favor of supporting an assault weapon ban a couple of weeks ago and withdrew from the Congressional race this Friday. However, Congressman Higgins believes that there can be a push for elected leaders to push through "common sense" gun legislation.
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"I think it's important that we have bipartisan legislation, but other members of the Republican caucus, not a lot, but other members have come out in support of a ban on assault weapons, we think that's very, very important and that should be in this package. I don't want a bipartisan group of senators to go in and come up with something that's suboptimal, it will not change anything. That's nonsense. We need to put public pressure based on fact, on members of the Senate and members of the House that oppose common sense gun safety legislation," Higgins said.
"When you look at comprehensive background checks that the House approved in March of 2001, 85% of Americans support that. 64% of Americans support a ban on assault weapons, which are designed to kill people. That is not to act on that is anti-democratic and I think that we have to recognize that we are there to address the concerns of the American people and when the leading cause of death, according to this, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, for kids, for children in America is gun violence. That in and of itself should be enough to move people. You need to look at a ban on assault weapons when the assault weapons ban was enacted. Gun mass shootings were reduced by 37%, according to a study, Columbia University, mass shooting deaths were reduced by 43%. When the weapons ban expired, 10 years later, mass shootings went up 184% deaths from that mass shootings went up by 239%. So it's pretty clear. We're, you know, a big part of this problem exists, and that's where Congress needs to keep the focus."
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