“I think there’s more we can do legislatively,” Sen. Rob Portman said of addressing gun violence after mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. | The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP Congress Emotional Rob Portman decries white supremacy and urges support for red flag laws

A shaken Sen. Rob Portman on Tuesday spoke out against white nationalism and expressed support for red flag laws, after horrific mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and his home state of Ohio.

The Republican's endorsement of limited gun control comes one day after President Donald Trump called for such laws, which allow police and family members to block access to firearms for people who are an imminent threat to others or themselves. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday he would introduce legislation to encourage more states to adopt red flag laws.


In an interview with reporters Tuesday, Portman said red flag laws could bridge gun safety issues with mental health.

“I think there’s more we can do legislatively,” Portman said. “Some of the legislative ideas may not make a difference. This one would, I think, if you could come up with a way to remove a gun from somebody’s possession.”

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) on Monday vowed to renew efforts to pass legislation with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that would expand background checks after Trump called for similar legislation via tweet, though the president didn’t follow up on the call during a televised address several hours later. The Manchin-Toomey proposal failed in 2013 and 2015 and has little Republican support.

Portman, who voted against the Manchin-Toomey bill, said Congress “should look at everything” when asked about the legislation. Like Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had, Portman said he hopes the latest tragedies would motivate Democrats and Republicans to work together on legislation.

Graham is not the only Republican senator with a red flag bill. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla) introduced a bill earlier this year that would also provide grants to states that seek to establish their own red flag laws. In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Graham sent Tuesday, Rubio urged the committee to bring up his bill at its next business meeting.

Democrats, however, have said red flag laws are not enough and have called on the Senate to pass legislation from the Democratic-controlled House that would establish universal background checks for those purchasing guns. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held an event Tuesday with Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) at a Walmart in Westbury, N.Y., to call on McConnell to bring up the House bill.

The two shootings over the weekend in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, left at least 31 people dead. The alleged shooter in the El Paso massacre is suspected of posting an anti-immigrant and anti-Latino manifesto on the online message board 8chan before the killings.

Portman said more is needed to be done to understand the root causes of the shootings, including examining the online communications of the shooters.

“We all need to stand up against the bigotry and the hatred and the white nationalism,” Portman said. “There are certain things you can do on the legal side with regard to guns but there’s a deeper problem here. Why are these people living in their own universe where they become so hateful and violent that they would commit these unspeakable acts.”