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Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released the following statement today in reaction to news that Speaker Paul D. Ryan and the House Republican Majority have indefinitely delayed votes to stem gun violence, including a previously announced vote on “anti-terrorism” legislation that was written and endorsed by the gun lobby:

“Congress is broken. Republicans refuse to do anything to address gun violence prevention. When facing political pressure, House Republicans asked the gun lobby to write a bill that was nothing more than window dressing and would not actually make American families safer. However, even a toothless bill was too much for those in the pocket of the gun lobby. Suddenly, today, they canceled that vote.

Enough is enough. House Democrats will continue to do everything in our power to fight the gun lobby. The House Majority should listen to the American people instead of deep pockets in Washington. For now, it seems the only way to overcome the stubbornness of Washington Republicans and make our communities safer is for voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November in every race across the country. We must not give up," said Tonko.

Tonko has supported several pieces of commonsense gun safety legislation, including closing the ‘Terrorist Gun Loophole” which allows suspected terrorists to legally buy guns in the United States. The current loophole has allowed more than 2,000 suspects on the FBI Terrorist Watch List to buy guns in the United States over the last 11 years. In that time, more than 90 percent of all suspected terrorists who tried to buy guns walked away with the weapon that they wanted.

Since January 2015, House Republicans have voted 18 times against closing the terrorist gun loophole.

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