May 28, 2022
Dear Friends,
We all watched this week as yet another horrifying act of gun violence destroyed families and tore apart communities. Just ten days after the hate-filled attack on Black patrons at a Buffalo grocery store killed ten innocent people, and 10 years after the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where he murdered 19 children and two teachers. Attacks like these, carried out using military-grade weapons of war, have become shockingly and infuriatingly common. We cannot and must not become numb to this kind of bloodshed. We must act now.
It is undeniable that gun violence in our country has reached epidemic status. The U.S. has experienced more than 200 mass shootings so far this year, well over one per day. 27 of those shootings have occurred at schools. According to CDC data, firearms are now the leading cause of death for American children aged one and older. And overall, Americans today are 25 times more likely to die by gun homicide than the people of any other developed nation.
We do not have 25 times more mental illness than these other nations, nor do we have 25 times more violent video games or hateful social media content. But we do have drastically more guns. Guns that are more deadly and easier to access than anywhere else in the developed world. America now has more guns than people, with more than 120 firearms for every 100 U.S. residents. Any serious solution to this longstanding crisis must address the root of the issue—the ease with which nearly anyone can purchase a mass killing machine.
For many years now, courageous and dedicated advocates like the parents of children murdered at Sandy Hook have told us that thoughts and prayers are not enough—that real, meaningful gun reforms are desperately needed.
There is so much we can do, from expanding background checks and raising the minimum age for gun purchases to restricting the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. In fact, the House has already passed two lifesaving gun violence prevention bills during this Congress. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act, both of which I proudly supported, would require a background check for every gun sale or transfer and would close the so-called “Charleston Loophole” that currently allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days.
These are the definition of common-sense measures. In a poll conducted this week, 88 percent of Americans expressed support for requiring background checks on all gun sales. But despite wide public support and the searing, obvious need, this legislation continues to be held hostage by Republicans who would rather ignore the overwhelming will of the people and put our children at deadly risk than cross their big donors from the NRA and the gun lobby at large.
This weekend, the NRA is moving ahead with its annual gathering in Houston, showing utter contempt for the incomprehensible grief and suffering less than 300 miles away in Uvalde. Dozens of Republican politicians will rally attendees against the call to end gun violence with cries of “freedom” and “liberty.”
But it is obvious to the vast majority of Americans that this is not what “freedom” and “liberty” look like. Parents are not “free” when they wonder if their children’s school will be the site of this year’s 28th school shooting. Families are not “liberated” when they worry that a trip to a grocery store will end in tragedy. Only when we take real action to address this unending bloodshed can we enjoy one of the most basic freedoms: the freedom from fear.
We must not fall victim to apathy. Despite the helplessness and hopelessness that many of us feel amid these overwhelming scenes of violence and misery, there are common sense, concrete actions we can take to end this heartache and make our nation safer. The time for action is now.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- This Memorial Day, we join our fellow Americans to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country and in the name of freedom and democracy, and to honor the families and communities they left behind.
- I’m working in Congress is ensure that we keep our solemn promises to the more than 19 million veterans in the U.S. and their families.
- We have an obligation to ensure that our heroes receive the high quality of care and benefits they have earned.
- Just as our troops pledge to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they return home.
- That’s why I’m highlighting the new Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- This program will provide resources for community-based suicide prevention efforts to meet the needs of veterans and their families through outreach, suicide prevention services, and connections to VA and community resources.
- The program honors SSG Parker Gordon Fox, who joined the Army in 2014 and was a sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Known for a life of generosity and kindness, Fox died by suicide on July 21, 2020, at the age of 25.
- Applications for these grants must be submitted by June 10, 2022, at 11:59 P.M. ET.
