GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Following the recent shooting in Michigan where three students died and five others in critical condition, Congressman McGovern is calling for more gun control measures but is pointing the finger at his Republican counterparts for not getting legislation passed.

“We need to take these dangerous weapons off the street. We ought to have a ban on assault weapons. We ought to pay more attention to the fact that we have more guns in this country than people,” said McGovern.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 65 shootings so far this year. It comes after Congress was able to pass the Safer Communities Act in 2022, which was the first piece of gun violence prevention legislation to be signed into law in more than 30 years.

The bipartisan act expands background checks and incentivizes states to pass red flag laws. However, Congressman McGovern said more still needs to be done because of the number of tragedies we’ve see this year alone.

Gun advocacy groups like the National Rifle Association have spoken out against a ban on assault style weapons.