House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that he is pushing for changes in the nation’s mental health laws but cautioned against rushing through any changes in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings.
“What we’re trying to do is find out the facts, make sure what our response is actually addresses the problem without infringing upon the rights of law abiding citizens,” Ryan said on CBS’ “This Morning.”
On Wednesday, 14 people were killed in a shooting rampage at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, marking the deadliest shooting in the U.S. since more than two dozen, mostly children, were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, about three years ago.
Ryan is expected to talk about mental health reform and a broader set of priorities later Thursday in his first major address since becoming speaker a little more than a month ago.
President Barack Obama pointed out Wednesday that there were people placed on no-fly lists who could still legally purchase guns, as he repeated his calls for more broad gun law reforms.
But Ryan said that he didn’t want to rush a response.
“We need to take a pause and see what’s happening,” he said.