KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is circulating an online petition urging the National Rifle Association to “make their voice a part of the solution” to prevent future mass killings.

The Missouri Democrat said in a news release Thursday the right to own guns isn’t the issue. She says what’s needed are “commonsense laws that respect that right, but prevent the mass slaughter of innocent Americans.”

McCaskill’s statement came after a gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., before committing suicide. The NRA has promised to offer “meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”

Missouri’s other senator, Republican Roy Blunt, said in statement Thursday that mental health programs need fixing, but he doesn’t believe a “weapons ban will solve this problem.”

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