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