US Republicans Need Willpower To Boost Gun Laws After California Bar Shooting - Senator

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2018) US states will not be able to prevent tragedies like the California tavern shooting unless Republicans muster enough willpower to strengthen Federal gun control laws, Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a press release.

Earlier in the day 12 people were killed and 15 injured after a US veteran marine opened fire at a bar in southern California.

"Some will say California's strong gun laws didn't prevent this shooting, but without stronger federal gun regulations, there's little California can do to keep guns coming in from other states," Feinstein said on Thursday. "We do know how to start to reduce the frequency of these murders. What we're missing is Republican willpower to get it done."

Feinstein, who represents the state of California, also said that a number of bills that would prevent individuals from buying guns, including bans on high-capacity ammunition magazines and military-style assault weapons, are ready for a vote.

The suspected shooter, 28-year-old US Marine Corps veteran Ian Long, was found dead in a likely suicide, Ventura county authorities said during a press briefing on Thursday. The attack occurred at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks, California about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Thousand Oaks incident marks the 307th mass shooting in the United States in 2018 according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) nonprofit organization.