Mark Kelly, husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Gifffords, phoned House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., to discuss gun reform on Scalise's first day back at work in the House of Representatives, according to The Hill.
Kelly said he and the Giffords were praying for Scalise's recovery and were glad to see him back at work. Then Kelly mentioned gun reform work that he and Giffords had pursued since 2011, when Giffords, then an Arizona congresswoman, was injured in Tucson shooting that killed six.
"We talked about a few things. He obviously had some things that he's promoting, but it was a very cordial conversation," Scalise said in The Hill.
Scalise was wounded in a shooting in June at a congressional baseball practice. He remains committed to gun rights.
"You have to fight for the things you believe in. In Congress, we fight with rhetoric, we try to persuade people, and as whip, you try to get the votes to pass legislation. If somebody disagrees with you, you try to persuade them. But if they can't be persuaded the other way, you move on. But if someone resorts to violence, you can't let that change your views. These are very deep-rooted beliefs I have," Scalise said in the Hill interview.
More gun laws won't save more lives, Scalise said.
"The best thing you can do is continue to be vigilant and enforce laws that are already on the books," Scalise said.
Kelly spoke about gun control earlier in October.
"We do know that in states that have stronger gun laws, we have less people that die from gun violence, so I don't buy into the notion that this is just the way it has to be," Kelly said on CNN on Oct. 9.
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