Update: House Democrats form Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Statement

By George Miller

The nation watched in horror and our hearts were broken as we witnessed one of our worst national tragedies ever at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. Our hearts still grieve for the parents, families, school employees, and entire community as they grapple with the horrific loss of innocent life in Newtown, Connecticut.

And the truth is, we have had far too many of these tragedies in the past few years alone. I believe our nation is finally ready to take action to reduce gun violence.

I have joined the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to work with my colleagues, mental health experts, law enforcement organizations, gun owners, and others to discuss the issues behind gun violence to push for a comprehensive approach to reduce gun violence, strengthen our nation's gun laws, and protect our children and other potential innocent victims.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York has also introduced legislation to ban production of high capacity ammunition feeding devices, of which I am an early cosponsor and a long-time supporter.

Furthermore, in response to the Newtown massacre, President Obama directed Vice President Biden to work with members of the Administration, Congress, and a broad cross section of the general public to come up with a comprehensive set of policy proposals we should take to begin to curb gun violence in America.

Bold steps are needed to strengthen gun laws in America, including reinstating a sensible ban on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines, and dramatically increasing access to quality mental health care.

These and other crucially needed reforms are long overdue and can be implemented while still protecting gun owners' legitimate rights. The Vice President is expected to announce his recommendation on Tuesday, January 15th.

Now is the time to act.

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