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State Representative Tony Cornish
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4240
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS RELEASE
REP. CORNISH: DIFFICULT TO PREVENT AN ARIZONA-LIKE SHOOTING AT THE STATE CAPITOL
ST. PAUL – In the aftermath of the Arizona shootings that killed six and injured 14 others -including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords - State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder) has been asked repeatedly what, if anything, can be done to prevent a similar act of violence at the State Capitol in St. Paul.
Cornish, who serves as Chair of the Minnesota House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee, said there are few solutions.
“If someone has the intent to assassinate, there’s little you can do to stop it,” Cornish said. “But I can tell you this, the wrong answer is to disarm citizens. If a crazed lunatic truly wants to kill someone, he’ll take a butter knife if that’s the only thing available. I strive to control the criminal, not the object in his or her hand.”
Cornish said one change he would like to see at the State Capitol is the presence of more armed uniformed state troopers. Some have suggested metal detectors and pat downs, but Cornish said subjecting everyone visiting the Capitol to a screening would be a logistical nightmare.
“Not only do you have lobbyists and the general public visiting every day, but you also might have thousands of kids taking a short Capitol tour before heading to the Mall of America,” Cornish said. “It would literally be impossible to screen them all.”
“Plus, let’s not forget everyone was seemingly in favor of strong airport security in order to ensure traveler safety, yet when the pat downs began and the check-in lines increased, everybody complained,” Cornish continued. “I could see the same thing happening at the Capitol if we chose to go down the road of heightened security.”
Finally, Cornish said he is troubled by some liberal attempts to blame conservative talk shows and political advertisements for the Arizona tragedy.
“There is absolutely no connection,” Cornish said. “This is a guy who hates government altogether - Republicans and Democrats. A psychotic cannot be influenced by others, only by his own deprived mind, and sadly that’s exactly what happened in Arizona.”
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