COLORADO SPRINGS —The family of a 29-year-old Army veteran killed in last week’s Planned Parenthood attack called Thursday for tighter Colorado gun laws to prevent another mass shooting.
“They need to be changed,” said Leyonté Chandler, whose brother Ke’Arre Stewart was killed in the rampage. “I believe that random acts of violence like this wouldn’t occur if you didn’t present the opportunity for it. A lot of these things could be prevented if the gun laws were changed.”
Chandler pointed to the San Bernardino shootings on Wednesday as an example, citing reports the two suspects in the attack purchased at least some of their weapons legally.
“It’s not the people that have the illegal guns,” Chandler said. “It’s the people with the rights to bear arms, and their using their rights. Something must be done about the gun laws.”
Sharon Lloyd, Stewart’s mother, said she is going to dedicate her life moving forward to battling for gun reform.
“Until we do something about those gun laws, we are going to continue to lose lives like we (did) today,” Lloyd said at a viewing for her son. “My son died senseless — no meaning to it whatsoever.”
“We’re just allowing” these shootings, she added.
Stewart’s wife, Ashley, said people should not be allowed to openly carry guns around shopping areas.
“If you have it, there’s a (probability) you’re going to use it,” Ashley Stewart said. “Where as if you don’t, you can’t and you won’t.”
The Nov. 27 rampage in Colorado Springs , including a , dead. Nine more were wounded.
Police say the alleged gunman fired his weapon over five hours.
Gov. John Hickenlooper that Colorado could soon consider new laws meant to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, but that he has more questions than answers about what those laws might look like.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
