Ohio Gov. John Kasich slammed lawmakers Sunday for failing to act in response to last week's mass shooting in Florida, urging them to “wake up” and consider “common-sense gun laws.”

Pressed to explain why Congress had yet to take legislative action in response to the school shooting Wednesday in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 and injured several others, Kasich pointed to the discord on Capitol Hill.


“I think Congress is totally dysfunctional. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Kasich told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union," also citing failures on immigration and cutting the federal deficit. “They just can’t seem to get anything done.”

Kasich bemoaned Republican lawmakers’ unwillingness to consider beefing up gun regulations, stressing that there are “reasonable” steps that could be taken to prevent further shootings.

“Common-sense gun laws make sense,” Kasich said.

The Ohio Republican cited efforts to expand background checks on gun sales and to curtail the sale of assault weapons, like the AR-15 used in Wednesday’s shooting, as remedies that legislators ought to consider.

But Kasich, a former GOP presidential candidate, said he had little confidence in lawmakers’ ability to strike a deal to curb gun violence.


“They can’t agree to anything down there,” he said. “Wake up.”

Kasich said Republican lawmakers should not fear reprisals from gun lobbyists for implementing measures to prevent further mass shootings, adding that “sometimes you have to put yourself at risk” politically.