Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley (D) on Sunday pushed lawmakers to take action in the wake of a shooting in her city in Ohio that left 10 people dead earlier that morning.
Whaley told NBC News host Chuck Todd that the shooting was the second tragedy to hit her city this summer, the first being a devastating tornado.
“The difference is that one of these tragedies was completely preventable and one of these tragedies has happened now 250 times this year in our country,” she said. “And yet nobody can do anything about it.”
In the final moment of her interview, Whaley pleaded for Washington to do something to prevent future deadly shootings.
“How many cities have to go through mass shootings before somebody does something to change the law?” she asked.
Texas Republican lawmakers have responded to the shooting in El Paso (which occurred less than 24 hours before the Dayton shooting) by avoiding the topic of gun control and instead putting the blame on mental health and video games.
The gunman opened fire at a busy district in Dayton around 1 AM on Sunday, killing nine people and injuring over 20. He was fatally shot by the police. Authorities are still determining his motive.
Watch Whaley below:
Dayton, Ohio mayor: “How many cities have to go through mass shootings before somebody does something to change the law?” pic.twitter.com/Sq1GfbnIal
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 4, 2019
