close

       Video

       Rep. Scalise: 'We need to be focused more on stopping things before they happen' House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., weighs in on President Biden's recent efforts to tighten gun control on 'Fox News Sunday.'

       NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

       Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, went after Democrats over their response to recent mass shootings, arguing that politicians on the left are "quick" to go after guns.

       "Well, John, the best way forward is first of all, when you have a shooting, instead of sitting down and going okay, what is really causing this?" Scalise said to "Fox News Sunday" host John Roberts. "Why do we see these happening more and more in the last few years, it immediately becomes a debate about taking away guns and you see Democrats quickly run in the day of the shooting."

       President Biden gave an impassioned speech Thursday following shootings across the country, such as in Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Buffalo, New York, among others. The president called for more "commonsense" gun control legislation, including reinstating an assault weapon ban, requiring background checks and limiting magazine capacity.

       Scalise claimed that such efforts as pushing "everybody in a corner" instead of trying to find "common ground" on the topic.

       DEM SEN. CHRIS MURPHY INSISTS BIDEN NOT GET INVOLVED WITH BIPARTISAN GUN NEGOTIATIONS

       "Why don’t we look and see if we can find some telltale signs so that there can be interventions?" Scalise asked, stressing that people "every day in America" use guns to defend themselves.

       next

       Image 1 of 4

       WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 29: U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) delivers remarks during a Republican-led forum on the origins of the COVID-19 virus at the U.S. Capitol on June 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. The forum examined the theory that the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan, China. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

       prev next

       Image 2 of 4

       Rene Lucero and his wife, Alva, visit a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, May 31. (AP/Jae C. Hong)

       prev next

       Image 3 of 4

       People pay their respects outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

       prev

       Image 4 of 4

       Emergency personnel work at the scene of a shooting at the Saint Francis hospital campus, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1, 2022. (REUTERS/Michael Noble Jr.)

       "Instead of talking about Democrats always wanting to take away the rights of gun owners, law-abiding citizens, especially, why don’t we talk about the root causes of these problems?" he added. "And there is some common ground to be found there, John."

       Roberts countered Scalise’s claims by citing recent Quinnipiac poll data that indicated the majority of Americans support stricter measures, such as required background checks and red flag laws, than what some Republicans seem to indicate.

       IOWA SHOOTING OUTSIDE CHURCH LEAVES 2 VICTIMS, SUSPECTED GUNMAN DEAD, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SAYS

       Scalise insists that Americans aren’t fully aware of the components of the red flag laws – put forth by Democrats – insisting that the laws "take away due process."

       "The immediate visceral reaction of Democrats in Washington is to go after the rights of gun owners in America, the law abiding citizens who were using guns to defend themselves," Scalise said.

       BANNING ASSAULT WEAPONS LOOKS LIKE ‘BIG ACTION,’ BUT ISN'T ‘BIG IMPACT’: OKLAHOMA ATTORNEY GENERAL

       He went on to argue that Americans bought more guns over the past two years in the wake of the "Defund the Police" movement and efforts by district attorneys in more liberal cities to enact law reform, which has caused a near-term spike in crime.

       Scalise believes the spike in crime is driving the gun violence currently rocking the United States, and that guns serve as the "only line of defense" for some people.

       CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

       "If you look at what happened in those cities, you see a lot of the things with the defund the police movement, with letting people out no cash bail, where they're making it easier for people to commit crimes, look at the smash and grab crimes," he said. "Do you think it's going to end there if they think they can get away with a crime?"

       "They're not going to be charged, they will go on to commit more crimes and worse crimes. It's happened in other places. Let's get back to regular policing."