USTIN - Days after a gunman killed seven people and himself at a Fort Worth church, Texas Governor George W. Bush said yesterday that it is time to get tougher on criminals illegally possessing guns.
Bush, the Republican presidential front-runner, did not call for new gun laws. But he said ''vigorously'' enforcing federal and state laws could make streets safer.
''We have some very tough laws against gun violence in Texas, and federal law with its mandatory sentences is tough as well,'' Bush said. ''Only with tough enforcement can we win the war against gun violence.''
Bush and Attorney General John Cornyn unveiled a two-year, $1.6 million program they said could add prison time for crimes where a weapon is used or possessed.
Asked if the initiative, after the church shooting, was a reaction to Democratic criticism of his gun-control policies, Bush said, ''That's politics.''
Jenny Backus, spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said, ''You can't say that you're in favor of protecting children and families and siding with law enforcement when time and time again you follow the lead of the NRA.''
Bush, a gun-rights supporter, said, ''If law-abiding citizens legally carry a gun, I see no harm.''
The program calls for coordination among local, state, and federal prosecutors to make certain criminals face the stiffest prison sentences possible under state or federal law, Bush and Cornyn said.
In some cases, state law enhances penalties for gun use. In other cases, such as those involving felons and drug dealers, a criminal can receive an additional five-year prison sentence under federal law for gun use or gun possession, said Ted Delisi, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.
