Dem lawmaker calls for study to examine link between domestic violence, mass shootings

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that, if passed, would require the Justice Department to conduct a study examining whether there is a correlation between individuals who have a history of domestic violence and mass shooters.

“If we look at the recent mass shootings in Sutherland Springs, Orlando, and the Congressional Baseball Game practice, we see a noticeable trend: all these shooters acted alone and had prior history of domestic violence,” Quigley said in a statement.

{mosads}”Studies on the link between domestic violence at the early stages and mass shootings may help us prevent individuals from carrying out these horrific crimes in the future,” he added.

The introduction of his measure comes days after a gunman opened fire on churchgoers attending a Sunday service at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Police identified the shooter as Devin Kelley, 26, who was discharged from the Air Force in 2014 for bad conduct after a domestic violence conviction.

The Air Force has come under fire for failing to enter Kelley’s domestic violence court-martial into a federal database that is used for background checks on gun sales.

The information, if it had been available, could’ve prevented the Kelley from purchasing the firearm and going on a shooting rampage that left 26 dead and 20 others injured.

President Trump on Monday attributed the shooting to “mental health problems” rather than the “guns situation.” 

Quigley, who called on his congressional colleagues to take action, urged lawmakers to continue the discussion about mass shootings by seeking out new information that could prevent future mass shootings.

“No perfect solution exists to end all gun violence, but we know from the experiences of other countries that a combination of small, common-sense policy solutions can severely reduce it,” he said.

“We must be honest about the facts and evidence we currently possess, as we remain diligent in our ongoing efforts to discover new information that can inform policy decisions and stop this cycle of violence,” he said.

Democrats, following the Texas church shooting and other recent deadly mass shootings, are calling for new gun controls.