Gov. Announces Meeting On Gun Violence

Governor Scott Walker says he’ll hold a meeting this week to look at the core causes of gun violence. A leading critic of guns says the governor should also consider more gun controls.

At a Martin Luther King Day breakfast in Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett talked about the ongoing death toll from gun violence in his city. “Last year in Milwaukee, we had 92 homicides: Guns were used in 73 of the murders.”

Barrett says 74 of the 92 killed were African-Americans and 11 were Latinos. Governor Walker didn’t talk about gun violence during his Milwaukee speech, but told reporters about a session coming up this week, “I’m meeting with mental health pros and police officials from around the state to get at the core causes, not just weapons, but how someone gets in the position where they’re committing those sorts of crimes.”

Walker says many of the mass shootings around the U.S. involve people with mental illness. Mayor Barrett says Walker’s meeting is a positive step, but that tougher gun laws are needed too. “There are serious loopholes in our gun laws and we have to make them more effective. It’s that simple.”

Barrett called on King Day observers to join him in pressuring politicians for stronger gun laws.