Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Thursday dismissed the “nonsense” calls from Democratic lawmakers to enact gun control legislation following the deadly mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
“We have to quit distracting the American public with these nonsense debates — and that’s what these are — these nonsense debates about gun control,” Johnson said on WISN’s “The Vicki McKenna Show.”
Johnson, who is engaged in a tough re-election fight with former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), said that gun control measures “will have no effect on these tragedies.”
“And that’s of course, we’re debating this in the United States Senate here today as we speak, laws that won’t actually prevent these things,” he said.
Instead, Johnson argued that lawmakers should address “Islamic terrorism.”
“We have to keep our focus on what the root cause of the problem is, and it’s Islamic terrorism. It’s not gun control. It’s Islamic terrorism,” he said.
In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have renewed efforts to enact gun control legislation. Following a nearly 15-hour filibuster during which Democrats called attention to gun control measures, Senate Republicans agreed to hold votes on several amendments next week.
