JEFFERSON CITY — Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Missouri said Wednesday they’d support ending the filibuster to approve firearms regulations in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.
“I’d vote to end the filibuster so we can actually pass universal background checks and keep weapons of war ... out of the hands of people who want to kill our children and turn our schools into war zones,” Lucas Kunce, Democrat for U.S. Senate, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Trudy Busch Valentine, another candidate running in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary, echoed Kunce’s position in a statement: “The American people overwhelmingly support commonsense gun legislation: universal background checks, closing loopholes, and restricting the sale of military-style assault weapons ....
“In the Senate I will be a leader on this issue and will support efforts to end the filibuster in order to pass meaningful gun legislation,” she said.
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Ending the filibuster means changing a U.S. Senate rule that requires 60 votes to end debate, a rule that effectively gives the minority the power to stall or kill legislation. Without that rule, Democrats could, at least in theory, pass laws in the current Congress without any Republican support. The U.S. Senate currently is split between 50 Democrats and Independents and 50 Republicans. Because Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, can vote to break ties in the Senate, Democrats currently have an advantage.
Kunce and Busch Valentine’s comments followed expressions of sympathy Tuesday following the Texas school shooting, which killed at least 21 people, including 19 children.
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, on Tuesday said he and first lady Teresa Parson “are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic news out of Uvalde, Texas. We are praying for the victims’ families and friends and that they may find strength and peace in such a difficult time.”
Kelli Jones, spokeswoman for Parson, did not immediately respond to questions about what Parson was doing to prevent mass shootings in Missouri and whether more needed to be done.
Republican candidates for Senate didn’t mention restrictions on firearms when asked what they would do, if elected, to prevent mass shootings.
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, said the candidate recently ” which would allow off-duty and retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed firearm while in a school zone if a local school passes a policy allowing it.
“This added layer of security for schoolchildren is important in rural areas because it allows for a quicker response to help local law enforcement,” Dallas Ernst, Hartzler’s campaign spokesman, said.
“We also need to do more to instill in our kids a culture that values and respects life,” he said.
Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, another Republican Senate candidate, said in a statement that he and his family were praying for the victims and their families.
“We as a society are too quick to judge, blame and divide,” Schatz said. “Sadly, yesterday’s shooting serves as a reminder of that brokenness. We must recommit as a country to addressing the mental health crisis that is far too familiar.”
He said in the state Senate, “we have significantly increased funding for mental health and I would advocate for additional federal funding until we get people battling mental health the resources they need.”
Schatz said he also supported making “schools as safe as they possibly can be.”
Former Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican who is also running for Senate, didn’t say how he would prevent mass shootings if elected.
“It is shocking you’d want to talk about politics at this time,” said an unsigned statement from his campaign’s media email account.
“The urgent need right now is to provide care for those who have been injured by this horrific act,” the statement said. “I urge everyone to donate blood and/or funds to South Texas Blood & Tissue, University Health in San Antonio, and First State Bank of Uvalde.”
Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Ƶ attorney Mark McCloskey and U.S. Rep. Billy Long did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about what they would do to prevent mass shootings.Reaction“Absolutely heartbreaking news out of Uvalde, Texas,” Greitens tweeted on Tuesday. “An unthinkable act of evil carried out against innocent children & teachers. May God provide their families with peace and strength in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
“Missouri & the nation are grieving with Texas tonight,” Greitens said.
Hartzler also expressed sympathy on social media Tuesday.
“Today’s horrific and senseless tragedy in Texas is simply pure evil,” she said. “These victims were elementary students, a teacher, and a grandmother. Lowell and I — alongside the entire state of Missouri — are praying for all those lost and their loved ones.”
Busch Valentine issued a statement on Twitter on Tuesday.
“I was blessed with a new grandson today. It is unimaginable to me that he, or any child in America, has to fear dying from gun violence,” she said. “I’m heartbroken for those who lost their children today in Uvalde, TX. I will fight with everything in me to bring an end to this violence.”
“I shouldn’t have to tell my kids that their classroom could become a war zone at a moment’s notice. This is a choice,” Kunce said on Twitter.
“May God give comfort to all those grieving unspeakable loss today,” Schmitt tweeted on Wednesday.
Updated at 2:41 p.m. Wednesday.