Rep. Chris Collins said Saturday that he was working with the National Rifle Association on legislation to protect Congress after the ballpark shooting that injured Rep. Steve Scalise and four others on Wednesday.
"I am working with the NRA on some legislation that might be able to make common sense and to assist members of Congress and their staff in being able to protect themselves," the New York Republican told "Fox and Friends."
Collins, 67, who was first elected in 2012, said that he has a concealed-carry permit but it does not extend to the District of Columbia.
"None of us have protection other than the leaders," Collins said. "The rest of us do not have security. We are not asking for it.
"I can carry and will be carrying when I'm back in my district," Collins said.
He said Wednesday that he would start carrying a gun at all times after House Republicans were fired upon in Alexandria, Va., during a practice for a charity baseball game.
The shooter, James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Ill., later died from gunshot wounds sustained from return fire by police. He was a volunteer for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, in his quest for the Democratic nomination.
Hodgkinson also posted anti-Republican messages on social media, according to authorities.
"We need to keep ourselves and our staff safe – and that's a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment," Collins said. "There is a saying if you are in the midst of carnage like we saw in the baseball field: 'The safest place to be is with a good guy with a gun.'"
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