On the recordDecember 10, 2015
Yesterday, the House passed bipartisan legislation to better protect our Nation by making our Visa Waiver Program more rigorous. That is because we recognized, on a bipartisan basis, that legal loopholes that make Americans less safe must be closed. Why can't we bring that same spirit to commonsense gun violence legislation? That is a rhetorical question because I think we all know that the gun manufacturing and sales industry and their puppet, the NRA, have a stranglehold on the Republican majority in this Congress that has kept Congress silent for years on this issue, but that silence will no longer be tolerated. More than 2,000 suspects on the FBI terrorist watch list have legally purchased guns in the United States in recent years. Thankfully, one brave Republican has dared to confront the gun lobby by introducing a bill to close this loophole. I demand a vote on that bill. Americans are tired of hearing thoughts and prayers in response to mass shootings. They are sick of our regularly scheduled moments of silence. Our silence has become the problem. Americans want action to address the gun violence epidemic in this country. There is no better way to start than the bipartisan bill prohibiting suspected terrorists on the terrorist watch list from stockpiling assault weapons. Let's have a vote on H.R. 1076. It is time to end Congress' shameful silence on this critical national security issue. ____________________
