Governor Christie on Gun Laws

Do we need to consider adopting stricter gun laws across the nation– especially after what happened in Newtown, Connecticut recently?

Governor Christie says he’s willing to talk about the issue, but it needs to be part of a larger national discussion on violence and violent behavior.

During a stop in Belmar today, the Governor said beyond gun laws “you have to consider mental illness counseling, you have to consider removing the stigma for getting that type of treatment – this young man in Connecticut was obviously deeply disturbed.”

Christie pointed out for some reason the Connecticut shooter wasn’t being treated, “and I think one reason that is, is because we have such a stigma on mental illness treatment - if that young man had cancer, him mother wouldn’t have hesitated for a minute to take him to the doctor to get his cancer treated – but if someone has mental illness we somehow think maybe we shouldn’t – because you don’t want to let people know …it’s an illness – and people who are mentally ill and not treated can sometimes act out, and there are tragic results for that.”

He also said “that kid’s mother owned those guns legally – in a state that has some of the toughest gun laws in America- but a disturbed young man untreated will do crazy things – he killed his own mother…and we’ve got to start dealing with these violent video games – this young man was sitting in his basement for hour, after hour, after hour, playing a game called Call of Duty, which I wouldn’t allow in my house for my 4 children because it desensitizes you to violence…. We'’ve got to wake up to the fact that all these things need to be talked about. I don’t want to consider one in isolation, because then you’re just playing politics.”

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