Rubio: Shooters ‘will find a way to get the gun’

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday that gun control legislation wouldn’t have prevented the mass shooting at a Florida high school, saying that those want to commit shootings “will find a way to get the gun to do it.”

In a speech on the Senate floor, Rubio said he wasn’t “diminishing” proposals for gun control legislation, but said that Congress should only consider “be something that works.”

“You could pass a law that makes it harder to get this kind of gun in new condition,” Rubio said. “But you’re going to struggle to keep it out of the hands of someone who’s decided that’s what they want to use, because there’s so many of them out there already that would be grandfathered in.”

{mosads}Rubio went on to note that increased background checks could also be ineffective because someone who fails a check could simply purchase a gun on the black market.

“I’m trying to be clear and honest here,” Rubio said. “Someone who has decided to commit this crime, they’ll find a way to get the gun to do it.”

Rubio’s remarks follow the Wednesday mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

At least 17 people were killed in the shooting, according to local law enforcement officials. The suspected shooter, a former student at the school, was taken into custody.

The sheriff’s office later identified the shooting suspect as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. 

The FBI was reportedly warned last year about a school shooting threat from a YouTube user with the same name as the suspect.

Rubio warned Wednesday against “jumping to conclusions” following the shooting.

“I think it’s important to know all of that before you jump to conclusions that there was some law that we could have passed that would have prevented it. And there may be, but shouldn’t we at least know the facts?” Rubio said on Fox News.

Democrats have called on Congress to take action on gun control legislation in the wake of the shooting.