GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Wants Death Penalty For School Shooters

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner says he'll pursue a mandatory death penalty for any school shooter who kills someone, although legal analysts say that's unconstitutional.

Wagner, a state senator, said Monday that his message is "if someone kills one of our children, we will kill them." Wagner is running in a three-way primary for the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's re-election bid.

Wagner's comments came in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that killed 17 people.

Pennsylvania hasn't executed anyone since 1999. Wolf announced a death penalty moratorium soon after taking office in 2015.

Robert Dunham of the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center says the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that juries must be able to consider factors that might call for mercy.

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