LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of politicians from California called for nationwide reform to contain gun violence, after a mass shooting killed 11 in Monterey Park, a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles, on Saturday.
"Every country struggles with mental illness. But the USA has a gun homicide rate 26 TIMES HIGHER than our peers." California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday after touring Monterey Park.
He tweeted Sunday that "No other country in the world is terrorized by this constant stream of gun violence. We need real gun reform at a national level.
Newsom's remarks were echoed by Senator Alex Padilla. He noted that the Saturday tragedy should remind people of "the epidemic of gun violence in America."
U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu said that the gun industry and its lobby groups should be blamed for the mass shooting.
There were 641 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, the second-highest number behind the 690 that happened in 2021, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shootings nationwide.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
