Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., embraced calls for gun reform in the United States on Wednesday, but stopped short of supporting any measure that requires the Senate filibuster to be scrapped.
After Tuesday's deadly shooting at a Texas elementary school, the West Virginia moderate was shaken by the incident in which Salvador Ramos, 18, allegedly opened fire on a single classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, reportedly killing at least 19 students and two teachers.
Manchin referred to the mass shooting as "just absolutely horrific," according to The Hill. He then added, "You all know where I stand; I'll do anything I can."
As for crafting stricter gun laws in America, Manchin said, "It makes no sense at all why we can't do common-sense things and try to prevent some of this from happening."
He added, "It's unbelievable how we've gotten to a society where someone could be this deranged and this sick."
A border patrol agent reportedly rushed into the school and found Ramos barricaded Tuesday, according to a sourced report from The Associated Press. The agent then fatally shot Ramos, according to the AP report.
As for the filibuster, which currently requires a 60-vote threshold to enact sweeping changes to any established law, including the Second Amendment, Manchin said, "The filibuster is the only thing that prevents us from total insanity."
In January, Manchin halted demands to scrap the filibuster, saying that "we need some good rule changes to make the place work better. But getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make the place work better."
Manchin reiterated that position a few days later, saying he absolutely would not vote to "eliminate or weaken the filibuster."
"The filibuster plays an important role in protecting our democracy from the transitory passions of the majority and respecting the input of the minority in the Senate," Manchin said.
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