Rep. Peter King Will Propose Gun Restriction Bill

Members of Congress are contemplating a number of steps to prevent a repeat of last Saturday’s violence in Tucson, Ariz. New York Republican Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says he will propose a bill in coming weeks to forbid people from carrying weapons within 1,000 feet of federal officials at public events, The Hill reports.

In a speech King said his bill is designed to protect both public officials and the public itself. Elected officials are no important than anyone else, he says.

But, "the fact is they do represent the people who elect them, and it's essential if we're going to continue to have contact that the public who are at these meetings are ensured of their own safety," King says.

"From a conservative perspective, we have to have a stable society. We have to keep crime down. You cannot do that if the police cannot be assured that illegal guns are not on the street,” he adds.