Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, released this statement regarding the shooting tragedy earlier today in Connecticut:

“As a mother, grandmother and former public school teacher, it saddens me to realize that our society has evolved to the point where what once were rare and unthinkable actions now occur with numbing, but no more acceptable, regularity.

“It is time — indeed, it is well past time — that we put public safety ahead of our society’s blind, unthinking resistance to any effort to crack down on illegal gun purchases or access by the mentally unstable.

“I look forward to reviving this dialogue in the coming legislative session and challenging Washingtonians from all perspectives to put aside their personal interests to work earnestly toward a solution that insists on legal, responsible gun ownership instead of blanket ownership by anyone at any time under any conditions.”