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Letter to Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader - Demanding a Vote on Gun Legislation

Letter

By: Rosa DeLauro, Bill Foster, John Yarmuth, Bobby Scott, Hakeem Jeffries, Peter Welch, Xavier Becerra, Brenda Lawrence, Paul Tonko, Ted Lieu, Mike Honda, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Frank Pallone, Jr., Gwen Moore, Earl Blumenauer, Linda Sánchez, Jim Langevin, Hank Johnson, Jr., Tammy Duckworth, Eleanor Norton, Elizabeth Esty, Don Beyer, Jr., Joe Courtney, John Lewis, Joe Kennedy III, André Carson, Lacy Clay, Jr., Susan Davis, Mike Doyle, Jr., Alan Lowenthal, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Sheila Jackson Lee, John Garamendi, Lois Capps, Marcia Fudge, Seth Moulton, Brad Sherman, Danny Davis, Juan Vargas, Ben Lujan, Jr., Frederica Wilson, Ted Deutch, Pete Aguilar, Judy Chu, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Anna Eshoo, Betty McCollum, Elijah Cummings, Julia Brownley, Steve Cohen, Kathy Castor, Richard Neal, Luis Gutiérrez, Keith Ellison, Annie Kuster, Raul Grijalva, Gerry Connolly, Katherine Clark, Mark Takano, Donald Norcross, Grace Meng, Eric Swalwell, Steve Israel, Grace Napolitano, Sandy Levin, Zoe Lofgren, John Larson, Joe Crowley, Barbara Lee, Dave Loebsack, Brian Higgins, Doris Matsui, Stacey Plaskett, Norma Torres, Stephen Lynch, Cedric Richmond, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Niki Tsongas, Sean Maloney, Robin Kelly, Dutch Ruppersberger, Bill Keating, Albio Sires, John Sarbanes, Kathleen Rice, Jackie Speier, Jim Himes, Tony Cárdenas, Donna Edwards, Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman, Jerry Nadler, Eliot Engel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Brendan Boyle, Nydia Velázquez, Carolyn Maloney, Yvette Clarke, Charlie Rangel, Alan Grayson, Gregory Meeks, Joyce Beatty, Cheri Bustos, Mike Capuano, John Conyers, Jr., Louise Slaughter, Scott Peters, Chellie Pingree, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jan Schakowsky, Nita Lowey, Karen Bass, Ruben Gallego, Janice Hahn, Jim McGovern, Dina Titus, David Cicilline
Date: Sept. 28, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Guns Legislative Branch

Dear Speaker Ryan and Leader McCarthy:

In June, House Democrats demanded a vote on the bipartisan "No Fly-No Buy' bill and comprehensive background check legislation following the tragic shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando which claimed the lives of 49 Americans. Instead of allowing the House to debate and vote on this legislation, the Republican majority decided to adjourn early for a seven week recess.

At least 2,015 Americans were killed as a result of gun violence during the August recess. In fact, more than 10,700 Americans have already lost their lives to gun violence this year. Each day 297 Americans are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, attempted suicides, unintentional shootings, and police intervention and almost 30 percent of those victims die from gun-related injuries. Since Congress came back into session on September 6th, there have been mass shootings in places like Texas and Washington State. Meanwhile, the Republican majority has refused to even allow a debate on how to address the epidemic of gun violence in our country.

Within a few hours the Republican majority is preparing to adjourn for a six week recess without taking any action on gun safety legislation. When we return to session on November 14th, we will likely be faced with the sad reality that thousands of Americans will have lost their lives to gun violence while members of this body were campaigning for re-election. We strongly urge you to cancel the upcoming recess to debate and vote on responsible gun safety legislation to help save American lives.

If we adjourn without addressing this issue, thousands of American families will be torn apart over the recess because we failed to act. We ask you to allow a vote on the bipartisan "No Fly, No Buy' legislation, which the Republican nominee for President Donald Trump said he supported in the first presidential debate on September 26th. We also ask that you bring the bipartisan comprehensive background check bill to the floor, which enjoys widespread support among the American public.

Sincerely,


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