Tim Kaine refers to gun violence in America as a ‘sickness’

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) lamented that mass shootings have become “a uniquely American problem.”

Kaine appeared on Andrea Mitchell Reports Thursday to offer insight on the latest instance of gun violence out of Maine, where a suspected gunman in Lewiston has killed 18 and injured 13. The senator was the governor of Virginia during the Virginia Tech mass shooting in 2007.

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“It just sickens your soul. I mean, we have a sickness in this country around gun violence, and it’s a uniquely American problem,” Kaine said. “Many other nations don’t have the problem that we have. States, including Virginia, have finally taken meaningful steps to deal with it, but Congress thus far has generally been unwilling to.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the suspect has yet to be arrested and remains at large. So far, Maine State Police have charged the gunman, believed to be Robert Card, with eight counts of murder for the eight identified victims.

“But the main message in the aftermath of a tragedy has to just be: Our hearts go out to loved ones, family members, and those who are still living under fear because there hasn’t been the arrest yet,” Kaine went on. “And I know that — that terrorizes people in the area around Lewiston.”

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As of the last update provided by Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), five of the injured victims are in critical condition, while the remaining three are stable. Police have ordered residents in Lewiston and Bowdoin to shelter in place.

Kaine is among 36 Senate Democrats who introduced an assault weapons ban again this January to see how far it will progress in the 118th Congress. It would ban any military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines sales, manufacturing, transferring, and importing.