Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Pete King Call On Congress To Act On Gun Safety Legislation
WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Following last weekend's gut-wrenching mass shootings, Sen. Charles Schumer (D) and Rep. Peter King (R) are pleading with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on a universal gun background check.
The shootings have forced many lawmakers to demand action on gun control.
Two of the most powerful politicians in the region - on opposite sides of the aisle - stood in front of a Long Island Walmart to plead for bipartisan gun safety legislation.
"If anything good can come of these horrible tragedies of the weekednd is that we get this legislation passed," King said.
Watch: Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Pete King Call For Gun Safety Legislation
"I would say it's like Nixon going to China. If President Trump would just come out and say that he believes a background check should be held, bring this to a vote on the Senate floor. And if there's any specific objections people have to certain parts of it, get it out, but let's get this done," said King.
Citing support from the public for universal gun background check legislation, Schumer and King urged immediate change on Capitol Hill.
In a bipartisan vote 150 days ago, the House of Representatives passed a King-led bill to enact universal gun background checks on all sales. The bill stalled in the Senate.
"This piece of paper represents more than just about anything else that could be done to stop the violence such as occurred in Dayton and El Paso. It had bipartisan support in the House. And if Leader McConnell would simply bring this bill to the floor of the Senate now, I believe it would pass," Schumer said.
According to a Quinnipiac survey, more than 90 percent of Americans including gun owner and voters from both sides of the aisle support requiring a background check for every gun sale.
Meanwhile, two days after a mass shooting left scores dead and injured at one of its stores in El Paso, Walmart says it's not going to stop selling guns. It's the largest gun seller in the nation.
CBS2's Jennifer McLogan visited with Walmart in Westbury Tuesday - in recent years, it has limited the types of guns it sells and leads the way with strict rules on who it approves for firearm purchases, McLogan reported.
"All the killings are out of control. I think more needs to be done," one Walmart shopper told McLogan.
"People do have a right to carry a gun but we don't need assault rifles," said another.
Some Walmart shoppers told McLogan if the world's largest retailer stopped selling firearms and adopted stricter measures such as gun buybacks, the gun debate would dramatically shift.
"Killing that's going on in each and every state," said one shopper. "No one should have access to automatic rifles. Hunting and that is totally different."
Schumer and King are calling on GOP leaders to gavel the Senate into emergency session for the gun bill debate and vote.
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Senate committees should study potential solutions without infringing on Americans' constitutional rights. He decried "partisan theatrics and campaign rhetoric."
