“Once again, we are mourning the violent loss of innocent lives to a man who had access to weapons no civilian should have access to. It’s impossible to know how to stop every act of gun violence, but I know with my whole being that our nation’s leaders aren’t even trying.
“It’s a different story here in Washington state. Voters have overwhelmingly approved common-sense laws to strengthen background checks and empower families to keep guns away from a loved one in crisis. Our legislature has supported efforts related to mental health and suicide prevention. I issued an executive order to look further at background checks and other gaps in the way we collect and share data relating to people who attempt to purchase guns. It’s a good start, but we can – and must – do more.
"This session the legislature needs to ban bump-stocks and other devices that turn legal semi-automatic firearms into lethal fully-automatic machine guns. We must make sure people intent on causing mass destruction and loss of life won’t be aided by lax laws that give them unfettered access to military-style weaponry.
“To those who say we can’t talk about machine gun massacres right after the massacre: I’m done waiting for the ‘right time’ to talk about it. The ‘can't talk about it now’ crowd is killing us.”