SACRAMENTO — Two days after the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, two key legislative committees on Tuesday approved a sweeping package of gun control legislation following the year’s most fiery hearings.
During the state Assembly Public Safety Committee, Democrats sparred with a National Rifle Association lobbyist who testified against several of the bills, calling him “crazy” and “vicious” for protecting the killers who “terrorize our streets.” And when the lobbyist said the legislation wouldn’t help save lives, one lawmaker suggested washing his mouth with soap.
“The reason they were murdered was because of your organization,” said another lawmaker, Assemblyman Evan Low, an openly gay Silicon Valley Democrat who was speaking about the 49 people slaughtered early Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. “It’s difficult for me to sit here and look you in the eye and respect you.”
by Jessica Calefati