Grace Napolitano: “I would like to say I agree with my colleague. If not now, when? We have been asking that for many, many generations.…”

“I would like to say I agree with my colleague. If not now, when? We have been asking that for many, many generations. Because of the mass shootings, American families are demanding Congress to act. They want action, but Congress has not heard any bills. They refuse to hear them. There is nothing. There is no opportunity to have the light of day or to have some transparency to it. The last meaningful gun violence prevention bill was in 1994, and that was the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Shootings, as was pointed out, are now an everyday occurrence. It is commonplace, so people are becoming numb, except for those who are immediately affected and are asking us to move and pass legislation, give it the light of day, discuss it, bring it up, start some methodology to be able to understand what this House is looking at doing for our American people, for our children, and for our families. Now, collective action, we need it. Transparent discussion is necessary and much needed. Enough of skirting this issue. What is more important, gas and oil or the lives of human beings? Keep guns away from people that should not have them and/or would use them to harm others. H.R. 1217 mandates universal background checks for all purchases. It is a step in the right direction. It would move our country forward in beginning the process of addressing this epidemic that we are facing. We need real, constructive legislation. We need to prevent and lessen violence.…”