We need to ban assault weapons. We need to ban the high-capacity clips and magazines. We need serious background information, system upgrade.

If you have a deep-seated need to be loved and admired every day, you shouldn't be in politics. You should go work at a pet store.

All eyes, all attention at the federal level, are on al Qaeda and the war on terror. Fact is, al Qaeda wouldn't last a day in parts of Philadelphia. I've got gangsters with .45s that would run them out of town.

I believe in the critical importance of participating in the political system - from voting to standing for election. It's both rewarding and necessary that men and women of good will and clear thinking engage in honest, open debate.

Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.

Whether it's on the streets of Philadelphia or New York or Chicago or Atlanta or in a classroom in Newtown, Connecticut, people want to be safe.

Everyone felt comfortable with these guys and what their vision was, and when they said they want to keep the staff intact, that was very encouraging.