VIDEO: Dad of Sandy Hook Victim Gives Emotional Remarks on Gun Control, Saying "The Problem Is Not Gun Laws"
In emotional remarks given today on the future of gun control in the nation, Mark Mattioli - father of six-year-old James who was shot and killed in the Newtown, CT tragedy in December - said he doesn't believe more gun laws will provide all the answers we need to deal with the problem at hand.
Heartbreaking highlights in the video below show Mattioli remarking that he believes there's more "promise for a solution" in identifying and researching in the area of mental health. He also said that the issue of gun violence and others are not necessarily "as complex as you've been told."
"I believe the solution may not be as easy
to implement as I might hope, but it's a simple concept," he said. "We need civility across our nation. What we're seeing are symptoms of a bigger problem. This is a symptom. The problem is not gun laws. The problem is a lack of civility."
More on Gun Control:
- INTERVIEW: Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. Criticized for Telling Residents to Take Gun Safety Training in the Wake of Police Layoffs
- Activists March on Washington for Tighter Gun Control Measures
- LIST: The 157 Types of Firearms Banned Under Sen. Feinstein’s Proposed Gun Control Bill
Mattioli added that an emphasis needs to be placed on parenting and on personal accountability. He began making a point with a story from his own childhood, comparing when he was age six to when his son, James, was age six. Overwhelmed with emotion, he "changed the subject" to try to gain composure, holding up a graphic from Sandy Hook Elementary.
"So, our school - I'm very proud of Sandy Hook - our school is not a building," he said, once again visibly choking up. "It's the teachers, the parents, the students ... we have some core values..." As he tried to regain composure, he showed the illustration of a tree. Along the top it read: cultivating character.
"Cultivating character, okay? We as parents, that's our primary job. We ask the schools to contribute to that, but we are the primary caregivers and educators ... and Sandy Hook is a wonderful example ..," he said, trailing off.
"Parenting is where we need to focus our attention; we don't need complex laws."
"Is one more law - I don't care if you named it 'James' Law,' I don't want it - I think we have more than enough on the books. We should hold people individually accountable for their actions, and we should enforce laws appropriately, and I would say they're not currently being enforced appropriately."
Watch the emotional testimony:
Today's Top Stories:
