Returning to the House and the Fight for Gun Safety
Dear Friend,
As the House returns to Washington today, I and my fellow Democrats are not backing down in the fight for gun safety. I just delivered this floor speech calling on Speaker Ryan to bring up our bipartisan bill to deny firearms to people on the terrorist watch list. No-Fly/No-Buy needs to be the law of the land, not just a slogan. We will also continue to demand that the GOP finally allow a vote on other commonsense bipartisan gun safety measures that the majority of Americans support – this means the King-Thompson universal background check bill or my bipartisan Gun Trafficking Prevention Act.
Unfortunately, instead of bringing up one of these commonsense safety measures, Speaker Ryan is having the House vote on a National Rifle Association-backed bill that is similar to the bill by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) that already failed in the Senate. This bill is nothing more than an effort to paper over the very real gaps in our background check system – we need real solutions, solutions the majority of Americans support.
Since the Democratic sit-in for gun safety two weeks ago, I have continued to work with gun safety reformers and other Members of Congress from around the country to keep up the momentum for commonsense gun reforms. The day after the sit-in on the House floor, I joined with other New York members and gun safety surviviors at New York’s City Hall to hear the voices of local advocates demand real action in Congress.
This past Wednesday, in observance of the National Day of Action for Gun Violence Prevention, I was joined at Carl Schurz Park by gun safety advocates, community members and survivors of gun violence for another sit-in as we heard stories of survival inspiring us to work for gun safety measures so that more people will not have these stories to share.
The American people deserve a vote and deserve to see how their representatives act in the wake of eleven moments of silence for mass shootings. There has been too much silence and not enough action. Enough is Enough, it is time to do our jobs and protect the American people.
Sincerely,
Carolyn B. Maloney
Member of Congress
New York Daily News:
House Democrats Take Push for Gun Control to City Hall Steps
I gathered with other New York Members of Congress on Friday, June 24, to call on the House to vote on gun control measures, continuing the momentum from the House sit-in that ended on Thursday.
The Guardian:
Gun Control Advocates Join 57 Members of Congress on National Day of Protest
A week after we staged a nearly 26-hour sit-in on the House floor, Democratic Members took the #DisarmHate message to our constituents and held dozens of events Wednesday, June 29, throughout the country as part of the National Day of Action Against Gun Violence.
New York Daily News:
Gun Violence Survivors, Lawmakers Stage 'Sit-In' in Manhattan Park to Call on Congress to Stand Up to the NRA
I led a sit-in this past Wednesday at Carl Schurz Park demanding that House Speaker Ryan give us a vote on gun safety legislation. Enough is Enough! It’s time for action.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @RepMaloney for more news and updates.