They said it highlights the need for lawmakers to reconsider efforts to ease the District's tough gun laws and allowing firearms into national parks.

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray said the shooting underscored the need for strict gun laws in the nation's capital.

“It's all the more reason why, though, District of Columbia gun legislation should be not used as a bargaining chip by those in Congress who would use our city for political gain while compromising safety, particularly when it involves our right to a vote,” said Mr. Gray, at-large Democrat.

House Democratic leaders this week shelved indefinitely a long-sought bill to grant the District a voting member in Congress because they couldn't defeat a Republican amendment to scale back the city's gun restrictions.

“Congress should think very hard about their responsibilities for public safety before weakening gun laws in our nation's capital, and should rethink their decision to allow more guns in our national public areas,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

“It is dangerous to force more guns into places that American families expect to be gun-free and safe,” he said. Read more »

Source: washingtontimes.com