Here's what Arizona's congressional delegation is saying about the Nashville school shooting

Six people died Monday at Coventry School shooting in Nashville, Tenn., in this year's 130th U.S. mass shooting, which is defined as a shooting in which four or more people are killed.

With each shooting comes a renewed call for lawmakers on Capitol Hill to address the violence, which differs based on partisan lines. Broadly speaking, Democrats have called for stricter gun control regulations, such as reinstating an assault weapons ban. Republicans have called for measures such as arming teachers and say more attention needs to be paid to mental health, which they attribute as the source of the bloodshed.

The difference can be seen in Arizona's congressional delegation. Only one Republican member of the Arizona delegation responded to The Arizona Republic's requests for comment.

Here's what others in the delegation said about the Nashville shooting.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., tweeted March 27: "Our hearts break for the families of the 6 lives taken too soon — three of whom were children with their entire lives ahead of them — and all affected by the horrific, senseless violence at Covenant School."

Sinema negotiated the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, which, among other things, bolstered the scale of background checks for gun buyers under 21 and increased funding for states to bolster mental health programs.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., whose wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was nearly killed in a 2011 Tucson-area mass shooting, said March 27 on Twitter:

"I’m heartbroken to hear the news out of Nashville this morning. Six lives lost and more families devastated by yet another mass shooting. Children deserve to feel safe at school and parents deserve to know they will be. We have to do more to stop gun violence."

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who represents Arizona's 3rd Congressional District and is running for Sinema's seat in the Senate, said March 27 on Twitter:

"6 lives were taken today at the Covenant School in Nashville, including 3 children.  It’s become too common to see students hide and evacuate as their parents hope to be reunited. This is not normal—we must do more as a nation to protect our kids and stop these shootings."

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., who represents Arizona's 4th Congressional District, said March 28 in a written statement to The Arizona Republic: “We will be forever trapped in this devastating cycle unless and until we get serious about addressing the epidemic of gun violence in this country."Last year, Congress came together to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was a good first step. But, as I said then, our job is far from over. We need to ban assault weapons once and for all, for our children’s sake.”

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., who represents Arizona's 6th Congressional District, said in a statement to The Republic on March 28:

"Too many communities are familiar with devastating tragedies like the shooting that took place Monday in Nashville. We need honest, solution-driven conversations that strengthen the mental health safety net in our country — our kids and our communities deserve nothing less. Laura and I join the nation in mourning the lives lost."

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Rep Raúl Grijalva, a veteran Arizona Democrat who represents Arizona's 7th Congressional District, put out a written statement on March 27:

“We're devastated by the tragedy in Nashville. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, kids, victims, and first responders, but they mean nothing if it's not backed by action. Gun violence is a public health emergency. It is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States. The urgency to pass additional common-sense gun violence prevention legislation is now.”

“Instead of holding hearings as pawns of the gun lobby and silencing grieving parents, Republican leaders should be acting to help families and victims of gun violence. Speaker McCarthy has an opportunity to put legislation on the floor to address gun violence and the proliferation of assault weapons in our society. This week, we should vote to safeguard the wellbeing of our constituents and kids from guns instead of giveaways to the oil lobby.”

“We can no longer afford to band-aid together legislation to appease the gun lobby. We must pass universal background checks, mandatory waiting periods and gun storage safety, and limit the availability of the high-powered, semiautomatic guns that have made mass murders a horrific commonplace in our society.”

“No parent should be afraid to send their kids to school. Our children shouldn’t have to learn in fear. No one should fear for their lives in a public space because these weapons of war are easily available. The time to act is now.”

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What AZ's congressional delegation says about the Nashville shooting