Everytown Statement One Month After Parkland: As Congress Does Nothing, Students Prepare to March
3.14.2018
Today Democratic Lawmakers Joined Students at the Nation’s Capitol; In Less Than Two Weeks, More than 700 Student-Led March for Our Lives Events Will Take Place to Demand Action on Gun Safety
Everytown Released List of Policy Priorities Congress Should Pass After Month of Inaction Since Parkland; Instead of Votes for Gun Safety, U.S. Senate’s Only Action Was a Hearing Today to Shift the Conversation Away From Gun Safety
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement today denouncing Congress’ failure to strengthen gun laws in the month following the horrific mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead and more than a dozen people injured.
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“A month after Parkland, the NRA’s allies in Congress keep talking about everything but the real issue – the too-easy access to guns in this country. Bending over backwards to not talk about gun violence is exactly what the NRA wants, but it’s not what the American people want. The midterms are coming up, and if Congress caves to the NRA this time, voters will throw them out.”
Congressional leaders have not brought up a single gun safety bill for a vote in the last month despite unprecedented levels of support for common-sense gun safety reforms, a growing grassroots movement of students and several bipartisan bills in Congress — requiring background checks on all commercial gun sales, enacting a federal Red Flag law, closing the boyfriend loophole, notifying law enforcement when criminals try to buy guns, prohibiting bump stocks, and more.
Earlier today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee took its first official action since Parkland, a hearing titled “See Something, Say Something: Oversight of the Parkland Shooting and Legislative Proposals to Improve School Safety.” Instead of focusing on common-sense measures to reduce gun violence, the Republican majority chose to shift the conversation to the FBI, tech companies and school safety.