‘We can’t live like this’: Rep. McClellan reacts to deadly Georgia school shooting

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) brought up her support for tighter gun laws at a Harris-Walz campaign event in Chesterfield County the day after a shooting at a high school in Georgia that left two students and two staff members dead.

During the event, which took place at the Ettrick Deli near Virginia State University in Chesterfield County, McClellan said while Virginia has taken significant steps to regulate who can buy guns, she wants to see more done on the federal level.

“Thoughts and prayers are nice, but it’s not enough to save our kids,” she said.

McClellan spoke about how the frequency of school shootings affects American kids mentally.

“Every time my son hears about [a shooting,] whether it’s a school shooting or another mass shooting, he’s asking, ‘Am I next?'” she said.

McClellan’s children are enrolled in Richmond Public Schools, where officials announced security measures will be increased in response to the shooting. Officials in Hanover County and Goochland County have announced similar measures.

McClellan said Virginia lawmakers have passed bills mandating universal background checks and banning ghost guns, but she wants to see similar legislation passed on the federal level and also wants to reinstate the ban on assault weapons.

“The fact that you have the Governor of Georgia saying, ‘Now is not the time to talk about policy or school safety.’ When is the time? I mean, there’s a mass shooting every day. We’re past time,” said McClellan.

“We can’t live like this, where you’re afraid to go to the mall, to the movies, to the grocery store, drive in the wrong driveway,” McClellan said. “It’s ridiculous and the time for action has long passed.”

McClellan said she hasn’t heard of any new ideas for gun control policies that Governor Glenn Youngkin would sign off on. Earlier this year, Youngkin vetoed 30 gun-related bills but signed into law four bills making it harder for criminals to use guns to commit violent acts.

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