Gun Violence in America

Over the past several weeks, our nation has been devastated by gun violence. While we were still reeling from the racially-motivated shooting in Buffalo, NY, a gunman massacred elementary school children in Uvalde, TX. This week alone we have seen shootings at a hospital in Tulsa, OK, a Walmart in Pittson, PA, and a high school in Los Angeles, CA.

This horror should be unimaginable but in the United States, there have been more mass shootings than there have been days in 2022 so far. More than 200 people have died from gun violence this year in Chicago alone.

Enough is enough.

I am sick of hearing about thoughts and prayers from my conservative colleagues—the very same colleagues who claim to be ‘pro-life' then block legislation that could actually save lives.

Our children deserve better.

I want you to know that I am doing everything within my power to reduce gun violence in our nation.

My bipartisan bill the NICS Denial Notification Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year. This new law will require federal authorities to alert state and local law enforcement within 24 hours when an ineligible individual lies on a background check and tries to purchase a firearm, which can be a warning sign of future criminal behavior.

Last week, I sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) demanding that they do a better job of punishing gun dealers who have helped flood our streets with guns that are then used in crimes.

I am also a leader on the Trafficking Reduction and Criminal Enforcement Act to help the ATF reduce illegal firearms trafficking and the Buyback Our Safety Act to create a program to support gun buyback initiatives.

Many of you have reached out to my office over the past week to encourage support for the Protecting Our Kids Act and an assault weapons ban. I strongly support both of these measures and I look forward to voting for Representative Lucy McBath's legislation to create a so-called "red flag" law, which the House will consider next week.

Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in America. When car crashes were the leading cause of death for children, we passed laws to make cars and driving safer.

It's time to finally act on gun violence.