August, 09 2019, 12:00am EDT
Congress Must Immediately Address Gun Violence in the U.S.
Amnesty International USA today made an announcement calling for Congress to cut short its August recess and call an emergency session to immediately address gun violence in the United States. Ernest Coverson, End Gun Violence campaign manager at Amnesty International USA said:
"We can no longer accept the dangerous reality in which we live. The House has passed several measures that would help reduce gun violence, but the Senate has yet to bring them up for discussion even though lives are at stake."
WASHINGTON
Amnesty International USA today made an announcement calling for Congress to cut short its August recess and call an emergency session to immediately address gun violence in the United States. Ernest Coverson, End Gun Violence campaign manager at Amnesty International USA said:
"We can no longer accept the dangerous reality in which we live. The House has passed several measures that would help reduce gun violence, but the Senate has yet to bring them up for discussion even though lives are at stake."
"Gun violence in the U.S. is a human rights crisis. This is an emergency. It will continue to be an emergency until our lawmakers treat it as such."
Amnesty International USA is calling on Congress to return to Washington and vote on legislation combating this crisis, starting with requiring background checks for the sale of every gun. Reforms should also include a ban on civilian possession of semi-automatic assault rifles and shotguns, large capacity magazines, and other dangerous devices; weapons-grade assault rifles; prohibiting firearm possession by individuals convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes; safe storage legislation; and funding for research that can inform evidence and research-based policy solutions to address gun violence.
Background
A report by Amnesty International, "In the Line of Fire: Human Rights and the U.S. Gun Violence Crisis" examined how all aspects of American life have been compromised in some way by the unfettered access to guns, with no attempts at meaningful national regulation.
Last month, Amnesty International published a report examining whether the US has met its obligation under human rights law to provide effective remedies to survivors of gun violence.
This week, Amnesty International issued a travel advisory for the United States due to rampant gun violence.
This statement is available at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/congress-must-immediately-address-gun-violence-in-the-u-s
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Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
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Despite 100% Pentagon Audit Failure Rate, House Passes $883.7 Billion NDAA
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex," said Defense Spending Reduction Caucus co-chairs.
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Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.
The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
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Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
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