January, 27 2011, 11:00pm EDT
Gun Violence Prevention Groups Applaud Push For Congressional Hearings On Tucson Shootings
WASHINGTON
National gun violence prevention groups applauded a written request made today by the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee calling for a hearing to address gun violence in the wake of the shootings in Tucson, AZ that killed six and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
"Congress for too long has ignored the 30,000 Americans killed and another 70,000 injured by gun violence every year," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Now is the time for action. We are grateful that the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are pushing the House leadership to hold hearings on gun violence. It's the right thing to do for our nation, and for the way too many families and communities that suffer from gun violence."
The letter requests a hearing that is narrowly tailored to address specific weaknesses with our gun laws that permit shootings like the one in Tucson to take place. "The Arizona shooting is only the latest is a long line of mass killings made possible by easy access to large capacity ammunition magazines," said Kristen Rand, Legislative Director of the Violence Policy Center. "Congress can help prevent tragedies like Tucson from occurring by adopting simple and reasonable proposals like Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's legislation, H.R. 308."
The Judiciary Democrats urged Chairman Lamar Smith to convene a hearing sometime within the next month. "Chairman Smith has a real opportunity to make a difference here," said Josh Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "Once Congress realizes that this is not a Left/Right issue but a Right/Wrong issue maybe we can usher some sanity back into the debate about our nation's broken gun laws."
Brady United formerly known as The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and its legislative and grassroots affiliate, the Brady Campaign and its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. We are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.
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