The Issues
Gun Violence Prevention
Upon taking office, every Member of Congress makes a solemn pledge: to protect and defend the American people. This is the most important oath we take as elected officials – and to honor this promise, we must do everything in our power to keep our children and our communities safe from the threat of gun violence.
It seems as though every week, the news gives us a fresh reminder of the importance of this work. But every day, gun violence inflicts tragedies that don’t make the front pages. Our kids deserve an America where their homes, their neighborhoods, and their classrooms are safe places to live and to learn. The vast majority of the American people believe in commonsense reforms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill.
The most effective gun violence prevention measures are only possible with action by Congress, and it is our duty as public servants to do everything we can to stem the tide of gun violence. The families of these victims of gun violence will not rest until these tragedies are ended – and neither can we.
WHAT DEMOCRATS ARE DOING
Democrats are committed to saving lives and working to restore confidence in the safety of our communities with deliberate and concrete steps to prevent gun violence. To honor our responsibility to the American people, House Democrats have:
- Introduced bipartisan legislation to expand background checks nationwide to keep guns out of the hands of those at-risk of hurting themselves and others.
- Passed legislation to grow our investment in a national background check infrastructure.
- Taken steps to prevent new gun laws from being made in the shadows of secretive legislative maneuvers.
- Established a Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to lead the effort to devise, develop, and debate legislation to reduce and halt gun violence.
These straightforward efforts – supported by a broad and bipartisan coalition of Americans – are crucial pieces of our unending commitment to enhancing public safety by slowing the spread of gun violence. We have a moral obligation to take clear and tangible steps to address this crisis – and real action is the only fitting memorial for the victims and families of gun violence.