Press Releases

“On Jan. 8, 2011, six people were killed, including one child, and 13 were wounded when a man began shooting outside a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket. One of those wounded was my close friend, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was talking with her constituents at one of her “Congress on Your Corner” events when the unthinkable happened.

“In the three years since that terrible day, we have seen too many other tragedies as a result of senseless gun violence – from Sandy Hook Elementary, to the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and the Washington Navy Yard. As we take time today to honor the memories of those we’ve lost, we must also double our resolve to take all the meaningful actions we can to curb gun violence.

“As Gabby Giffords said last year before the Senate Judiciary Committee, "Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now." We must heed Gabby’s words and rise to the occasion to find common-sense solutions for curbing gun violence in our country.

“While there is no one action we can take that will ever prevent all gun violence, we simply must find common ground in order to move forward on sensible solutions, such as closing loopholes on background checks, that the overwhelming majority of Americans support. Doing nothing is unacceptable. Acquiescing to the National Rifle Association's wishes will result in more victims. Gabby was right, it will be hard, but we owe it to the victims of gun violence and our children, to make it possible for all of us to be safe in our communities.”

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