Governor Corbett: mental illness the issue in Newtown tragedy

File Photo by Scott Detrow/witf

(Harrisburg) -- Governor Corbett has sidestepped questions about what Pennsylvania can do in the aftermath of the Connecticut shootings, but says mental illness is the key issue.

At a news conference today where he faced pointed questions on a range of topics, Corbett said any ban on assault weapons is a federal issue that will be decided in Congress, not by states.

But he said such a ban would have limited benefit, since many Americans already own such weapons and the government won't take them away. He suggested gun owners could do a better of securing their guns, but said he's not proposing any such legislation.

Corbett says the challenge is to devise a way to keep legally acquired guns out of the hands of people with mental illness, but offered no specifics.