Lawmakers condemn shooting, renew calls for gun control laws

NEW YORK • Lawmakers in the United States condemned the racism that motivated a gunman to open fire in a Buffalo grocery store, and some once again renewed calls for stricter gun control measures.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said he had spoken with the Buffalo mayor and offered assistance, while Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, pledged to continue to fight for gun safety legislation and to "defeat the scourge of white supremacy".

"I ache for the victims and their families," she said in a statement. "I ache for Buffalo. I ache for the tight-knit East Side community. Racism has no place in our state or our country."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lamented "another community shattered by the horrors of gun violence". "We must never stop fighting to stop the bloodshed, because enough is enough," she said.

Mr Antonio Delgado, a Democrat from New York who is set to become the state's next lieutenant governor, condemned the attack and called for stepped-up action against hate crimes.

Representative Brian Higgins said in a statement that he was "horrified by the mass shooting", and in touch with local leaders.

Representative Lee Zeldin, a candidate for governor, lamented that "a simple Saturday afternoon at the local supermarket should never end like this".

"The devastating news of today's tragedy at Tops in Buffalo has New Yorkers in a state of shock and heartbreak thinking about the families and community victimised by this senseless violence," said Mr Zeldin. "Raw, violent hate in every form must be driven out of our state, however possible."

In a statement made late on Saturday night, President Joe Biden expressed sympathy for the victims' families and praise for law enforcement, adding that "a racially motivated hate crime is abhorrent to the very fabric of this nation".

"Any act of domestic terrorism, including an act perpetrated in the name of a repugnant white nationalist ideology, is antithetical to everything we stand for in America. Hate must have no safe harbour."

Other lawmakers raised the prospect of imposing stricter limitations on who can purchase a gun. Among the lawmakers was Representative Adam Kinzinger, who called the shooting "a reminder of why we don't play around with white nationalism".

"You have to be 21 to buy a pistol in this country," he wrote on Twitter. "Can we all at least agree we should raise the age to 21 for ARs as well? Shouldn't everyone have a background check? I think so. These are 90 per cent issues, do it now and keep debating the rest."

That legislation, however, has failed to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold needed to pass most legislation in the Senate because of Republican opposition.

Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, a champion of gun reform, called on his "do-nothing colleagues" to take action.

"Your 'thoughts' should be about what you are going to do to end this slaughter," Mr Murphy wrote. "Your 'prayers' should be for your own salvation - if you choose to sit on your hands - again - and let people die."

NYTIMES