California Gov. Gavin Newsom belittled newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson for saying that prayer “is appropriate in a time like this” after a gunman killed at least 18 people in Maine.
“The new speaker’s suggestion is we simply pray away the gun violence. That’s it,” said Mr. Newsom, a Democrat.
Mr. Johnson, Lousiana Republican, responded to the mass shooting by saying, “This is a dark time in America. We have a lot of problems and we’re really hopeful and prayerful. Prayer is appropriate in a time like this, that the evil can end and this senseless violence can stop and so that’s the statement this morning on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Everyone wants this to end and I’ll leave it there.”
Mr. Johnson has a history of defending gun rights and has voted against gun control bills.
Mr. Newsom, who is eyeing a White House run and spent Wednesday in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, also scolded Maine Republican lawmakers for not passing more gun-control laws.
“Republicans in Maine rejected a bill this year that would have required a waiting period for firearm purchases,” Mr. Newsom wrote on social media shortly after the shooting. “They seriously could not fathom waiting 72 hours to buy a gun.”
Republicans in the Maine legislature rejected a bill earlier this year that would have required a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases. However, it appears unlikely that the waiting period would’ve made a difference in the Wednesday shooting spree.
In June, Maine’s House Republicans and a small number of Democrats voted against the bill that proposed the waiting period in a 73-69 vote. The state’s Senate voted against the bill 24-11 just a few days later with 11 Democrats joining the Republicans to vote against it. The bill’s opposition was bipartisan, even though Maine’s House and Senate is controlled by Democrats.
“Maine also does not … Ban assault weapons, require permits to carry a gun in public, require background checks on all gun sales,” Mr. Newsom wrote. “Our hearts are heavy tonight.”
He also called for amending the Constitution to eliminate the Second Amendment protection of the right to bear arms.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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