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Virginia Governor: 'Clearly Too Many Guns In the Wrong Hands'

"There are too many guns in America, and there's clearly too many guns in the wrong hands."

That's what Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said to reporters in front of the WDBJ building in Roanoke, Va.

The governor, who promised to introduce gun-control legislation, was speaking two days after a gunman killed two journalists from that station during a live broadcast.

McAuliffe said gun-control legislation that requires background checks is "common sense" and is "right thing for Virginia and the right thing for the nation."

During the news conference, reporters noted that Vester Lee Flanagan, the man who killed WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward, bought his gun legally.

McAuliffe responded by saying that no legislation could stop all violence.

"If we could have background checks and one individual next week, next month or next year is prohibited from buying a firearm and we save a life, then it's worth doing it," McAuliffe said.

Guns and Ammo magazine ranks Virginia the 24th best state for gun owners. The magazine took into account, among other things, laws that regulate concealed weapons and semi-automatic firearms.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.