A politician has claimed that ping pong is more dangerous than guns just a week after 26 were shot dead in a school by a lone gunman.
Incoming Texas State Representative Kyle Kacal made the remark as he insisted that new gun restrictions are not needed in the aftermath of the killing spree in Connecticut.
The rancher, who is due to take up his seat in the house of representatives in 2013, said: ‘I’ve heard of people being killed playing ping pong – ping pongs are more dangerous than guns. Flat-screen TVs are injuring more kids today than anything.’
His remarks, reported by Yahoo news, come just a week after 20-year-old Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and shot dead 20 children and six adult staff members.
The massacre has led to calls for tighter gun restrictions in America where bearing arms is a constitutional right.
Earlier this week President Barack Obama announced that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an effort to come up with policies to address gun violence
Mr Obama said that Mr Biden will work with members of his cabinet and other officials to come up with proposals by January – assuring the American public this is not merely a Washington commission to study the issue but promised real reforms in a timely manner.
‘If we are not getting right keeping our children safe then nothing else matters,’ the president said about the need for action and bi-partisan compromise.
‘Lethal’: The Texan politician claimed he has heard of people being killed playing ping pong and argued flat screen TVs are injuring kids more than anything else (stock image)
The Connecticut massacre was the fourth shooting rampage to claim multiple lives in the United States this year.
The American public seemed numb after the school shooting and other Republican and Southern politicians, typically aligned with the powerful gun lobby, have said that something needed to be done to prevent future tragedies.
One such lawmaker is Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The gun rights advocate said he would now be open to more regulation of military-style rifles like the one used in the Newtown shootings.
Mr Obama said on Wednesday he found it ‘encouraging that people of all different background and beliefs and political persuasions’ are willing to challenge past assumptions and address the issue of gun violence.
