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Warren: 'Tougher' Massachusetts gun laws should be model for America

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Trump indictment
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on historic Trump indictment and gun violence 09:03

NEW YORK -  Sen. Elizabeth Warren says America would be a safer place if the gun laws in her home state were in place everywhere.

"In Massachusetts we have tougher gun laws," Warren said Friday on CBS Mornings, in the wake of a Nashville school shooting that killed three children and three adults. "If the laws that we have in Massachusetts were the laws all across this country, independent studies show we would reduce the deaths from gun violence by about 70%."

The Boston Globe editorial board cited the same statistic in 2018, arguing that 27,000 lives could be saved in a year if the nation followed Massachusetts gun laws.

According to gun control advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety, Massachusetts stands out for its "comprehensive background checks on all gun sales," "disarming domestic abusers," and red flag laws. 

Warren indicated that Congress is unlikely to act in a bipartisan fashion to make any changes to the nation's gun laws.

"I just can't tell you how frustrating this is," she said. "Our children died because there are Republicans in Congress who continue to insist that we can't put just basic safety measures in place."

Warren also reacted to the indictment of former President Donald Trump in a "hush money" case.

"No one is above the law, not even a former president of the United States," she said. 

She said she's trusting in the legal process as the case unfolds, even as Trump accused Democrats of "weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent."

"There is no reason to believe there's been anything other than an independent investigation," Warren said. "Take a deep breath. . . Donald Trump is going to have plenty of opportunities to make his case in open court."

Watch the full conversation with Warren in the video above. 

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