Current Gun Control Debate Doesn't Address Real Problem: Mental Health

When I was first elected to Congress in 2010, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution. It is an oath I take very seriously, so I am not supporting any of the changes proposed to this country’s gun laws. Rather than disarming law-abiding citizens, I believe we need to look at the mental health system in this country, and evaluate areas of improvement in order to help those suffering from mental illness.

The problem with the gun control legislation that failed in the U.S. Senate this week was that it did nothing to fix the real problem. As I said in an interview with the Austin-American Statesman, "Everyone seems to forget that the shooter stole the guns from his parent that he used at Sandy Hook." To read that full article, click here.

A great amount of emotion surrounds this debate, and I hope logic and facts will guide our solutions, not a knee-jerk or politically motivated reaction to a terrible tragedy.