Former Bush administration Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge said there's a "terrible disconnect" between a terrorist's shootings in Orlando, Fla., and
last week's gun reform sit-in by House Democrats.
In an interview airing Sunday with New York businessman and radio host John Catsimatidis on his AM 970 who
"The Cats Roundtable," Ridge said stricter controls wouldn't have stopped June 12 shooter Omar Mateen.
"The notion that somehow gun control would have eliminated that is just an absolute disconnect," he said.
The Hill posted excerpts of the remarks ahead of the show.
The Senate rejected sweeping gun control measures last week, including a bill that would ban those on terror watchlists from buying guns.
"You kind of wonder what kind of glasses some of the Democrats are wearing as they look at that horribly tragedy," Ridge said, referring to a subsequent sit-in in the House
criticized by GOP Speaker Paul Ryan as a "publicity stunt."
Story continues below audio.
Still, Ridge said he supported some reform related to the terrorist watch.
"I do think there's some reasonable people on both sides of the aisle and even within the [National Rifle Association] that probably do support the notion that if you're on a terrorist watchlist and if you can't get on an airplane, you probably shouldn't be about to purchase a firearm. OK. I get that ,…" he said.
"But this is totally unrelated to the incident in Orlando where the murderer pledged allegiance to ISIS and was probably inspired and converted by the virtue of the internet and some of his travels."
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