Local Congressional Reps Join Call for More Gun Control

Congressional representatives from three San Gabriel Valley districts have joined the call for tighter restrictions on gun ownership following the Connecticut shootings that claimed the lives of 20 children and eight adults.

Congressional representatives Judy Chu (D-El Monte), Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs) have all spoken in favor of more gun control in the days after the Newtown school shooting.

Schiff told MSNBC that he supports the renewal of the assault weapons ban that congress allowed to expire in 2004. He said the strength of the National Rifle Association's lobbying efforts have made gun control laws difficult to pass.

"It is enormously difficult to take on the NRA," Schiff told MSNBC’s Craig Melvin over the weekend. "They put a lot of money in against you and so it's a challenge but it's going to have to be done. We just can't keep going through tragedy after tragedy like this, it's got to stop."

Chu also lent her support to the assault weapons ban in a written statement released Monday.

"As these violent tragedies continue to plague communities all across the country, it is clear that Congress must act to reclaim our security," Chu wrote. "That means reinstating the assault weapons ban and addressing mental health issues within in our society. I believe we should also prohibit large capacity magazines and fix our broken background system."

Chu said she'll use her position on the House Judiciary Committee to push for tighter gun control laws.

"Because if we act responsibly today, we can prevent another mass casualty event from happening tomorrow," she wrote. We simply cannot afford to delay another day."

Napolitano, who has earned an "F" from the NRA for her support for gun control laws, said in a statement Friday that she will push for stricter gun ownership laws and greater access to mental health services.

"[Friday's] tragic events shed light on the continued discussion and action needed in Congress to address the issues of mental health and gun safety," Napolitano wrote. "We must all work together to secure and protect the federal funding needed to carry out mental health services and programs for all Americans. We must ensure that mental health support is made available for all children, their families, first responders, and the community of Newtown to help deal with this tragic event.”

Diane Feinstein said Monday that she will re-introduce legislation to ban assault weapons as soon as congress is back in session.