With several shootings rocking the nation this weekend, gun violence remains front of mind for Americans and their elected officials alike.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) is one of those members of Congress pushing for legislation to crack down on gun violence, and he joined News Talk 830 WCCO’s Chad Hartman to discuss public safety.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I feel safe, that my family feels safe, and I think that most Minnesotans and Americans, unfortunately, are feeling the same way,” Phillips said.
Even with the recent rise in mass shootings and gun-related deaths, Phillips says that when it comes to the push to crack down on gun violence through legislation, people seem to be living in two different worlds.
What the Congressman finds even more concerning is that the legislation he wants to enact, things like universal background checks, has support from an overwhelming number of Americans.
According to a Fox News poll from last month, voters favor criminal background checks on all gun buys (87%), improving enforcement of existing gun laws (81%), raising the legal age to buy a gun to 21 (81%), requiring mental health checks on gun buyers (80%), and allowing police to take guns from those considered a danger to themselves or others (80%).
Despite this, Phillips says his colleagues in Congress refuse to work in favor of those who elected them.
“We live in a representative democracy in which the people’s will is supposed to affect legislation, and I’m just sickened, disgusted, and damn right angry, to be honest with you,” Phillips said.
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