Richard Blumenthal: Republicans will act on guns if they face threat of political losses

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Thursday that the way to change gun violence in America is through elections.

“I think Republicans will act if they are faced with the prospect of mass losses in these elections,” Mr. Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, said on CNN.

“We need to make this issue a groundswell, grassroots issue that really moves America,” he added.

Gun violence came back into the forefront of the political conversation on Wednesday after suspect Nikolas Cruz opened fire on his former high school in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people have been confirmed dead in that shooting so far, with another 15 still in the hospital.

The suspect had been charged with 17 counts of murder.

Mr. Blumenthal’s own state experienced a recent tragedy with gun violence that left 20 elementary school children and six adults dead in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.

He said the way to address these situations is through bipartisan gun laws, like the ones passed in Connecticut after their mass shooting experience.  

“If we can break the glacier of our complicity in Congress, we can get measures done,” Mr. Blumenthal said.

He said that he and Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, have a bill to reform the information that is submitted to the background check system and tighten gun laws.