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'Time Now To Act,' Cardinal Cupich Says After Texas Shooting

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cardinal Blase Cupich said offering thoughts and prayers for the victims isn't enough.

"The time for expressing sorrow and leaving it at that is over. It's time now to act. We need to do something about this violence," he said.

And as he's done before, he's once again calling for a ban on assault weapons.

"Both state and federal law needs to change in order to make these guns not available, not legal for sale. We don't need military weapons in our society. We're not supposed to be at war with each other," Cardinal Cupich said.

Cupich said he has no plans to increase security at churches in the Archdiocese in wake of the shooting in Texas.

"I don't want to make our churches places in which people feel as though they should be fearful about coming in," he said. "Once we begin in some way to make our churches these safety zones in a military style approach I think that we're going to lose something in the character of our places of worship."

In September, Cupich issued a decree banning guns in all parishes, schools and other facilities across the archdiocese.

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