Va. governor: ‘This is why need to restrict access to guns’

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is renewing calls for more gun control in the wake of the shooting of a television news crew in his state.

{mosads}Television reporter Alison Parker, 24, and her cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were gunned down Wednesday morning near Roanoke, Va., by a person the governor said is believed to be a disgruntled employee of the station.

McAuliffe, a longtime advocate of gun control, said he is “heartbroken” by the “senseless” shooting, and renewed his push for expanded background checks.

“There are too many guns in the hands of people who should not have guns,” McAuliffe told The Washington Post. “That is why I’ve long advocated for background checks.”

“There’s too much gun violence in the United States of America,” he added.

“This is why need to restrict access to guns,” he said on Washington, D.C., radio station WTOP.

McAuliffe has made gun control a priority, pushing a number of reforms including expanding background checks and keeping firearms away from domestic abusers, but his efforts were blocked by the state legislature earlier this year.

Federal regulations require gun shops to conduct background checks on most firearm sales, but customers can get around this requirement by purchasing firearms online or at gun shows.

Gun control advocates want to close these loopholes, but gun rights groups argue such background checks could be used to unfairly target law-abiding citizens.