300 Mass Shootings
This year alone, there have been 300 mass shootings in the United States — killing or injuring over 1,500 innocent people.
Today in America, our children are being instructed how to duck and cover if an active shooter enters their classroom. Teachers and staff are in constant fear that their school could be targeted next. Churches, synagogues, and mosques are on high alert, and Americans doing their shopping or attending events are increasingly concerned that they or their loved ones may fall victim to gun violence at the hands of a shooter.
It is difficult to write these words and acknowledge these truths — and yet, this is our reality.
For far too long, the response to these tragedies from our elected officials was to offer thoughts and prayers, hoping to delay until the memory of the most recent horrific incident had faded and the news cycle had moved on. In no small part, that despicable inaction inspired me to run for Congress — and the new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is ready to act.
In February, we passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, just one month into the new Congress. The bill expands background checks to ALL gun sales, thereby closing the gun-show and private-sale loopholes. In June, we approved $50 million in funding for the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) to study the root causes of gun violence in our country and propose actionable measures to address it based on real data — just like we did with automobile safety in the 1970s. Unfortunately, both bills continue to collect dust on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk.
As I wrote in my open letter to Leader McConnell early last month, it is unconscionable that in the face of a national crisis of domestic terrorism and gun violence, he refuses to act. I find such inaction to be a dereliction of his duty. One person should not be able to single-handedly block legislation supported by over 80% of Americans. These bills should immediately be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.
The reason they have not, of course, is simple: the gun lobby’s stranglehold on Congress. It may be weakening, but their hold over Mitch McConnell and far too many others remains as strong as ever. He will not agree to anything without the blessing of the NRA — and the blessing of President Trump. It is perhaps one of the starkest examples of special interest influence and power in Congress, and it is time we collectively say enough is enough.
Most Americans agree on the need for universal background checks. And they support so-called red flag laws — otherwise known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders — which would allow friends and family members of individuals who may pose a threat to themselves or others to work with law enforcement, and following due process, to restrict access to firearms. Other measures such as restrictions on high-capacity magazines also have broad support. In fact, such ideas have support from nearly 8 in 10 Republicans, evangelical Christians, and firearm owners.
Neither policy would comprehensively end our gun violence crisis, but taken together they will surely save lives. Then we must require the CDC to immediately initiate a study and provide thoughtful solutions to address the epidemic of violence. There are many factors that contribute to the shootings we’ve seen — easy access to dangerous weapons; social isolation and emotional health issues among young men, in particular, and the online radicalization of white supremacists and other violent perpetrators. Our response to this threat must be comprehensive in order to be effective.
At the same time, we must initiate a national conversation about what kind of weapons we are willing to allow on our streets. There are already constitutional bans on civilians carrying rocket launchers, bombs, and grenades. In the 1930’s we banned “gangster-style weapons” in response to the mass carnage in cities around our country. When the Clinton-era Assault Weapons Ban was in place, mass shootings decreased. Today, access to these weapons — and enhancements to weapons such as bump stocks — are more accessible than ever and easily available on the internet. Will we allow that to continue?
In the end, thoughts and prayers will not save lives; action saves lives. I return to Congress this week more resolved than ever to work with my colleagues on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and everyone in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, to finally DO SOMETHING. The House has acted, and we will act again. We just need willing partners in the Senate. And if they stand in the way of progress once again, let’s find replacements for them in 2020.
- Dean
