The question over how to address the nation’s problem with gun violence was the focus of a roundtable discussion held by 10th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider Thursday.
On the heels of impassioned testimony heard one day prior by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a hearing
held by the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Schneider called for
universal background checks on gun purchases as well as a ban on assault
weapons.
Despite renewed public support for stricter gun laws
in the aftermath of such tragedies as the one in Newtown, Conn.,
and more recently with the shooting death
of 15-year-old Chicago native Hadiya Pendleton, Schneider acknowledged
such changes were still likely to face strong opposition by gun rights
advocates.
“We won’t get this overnight,” Schneider said. “For all
the pain that we see, and continue, to see this is not going to be a
march downhill, it is definitely a march uphill, but we all need to do it
together.”
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