Political Quotes

On the recordSeptember 14, 2016
Mr. Speaker, on July 14, Republican leaders recessed the House for 7 weeks without taking a single vote on legislation to help keep Americans safe from gun violence. Ignoring an issue that you don't want to deal with doesn't make it go away. House Republicans desperately need to learn that lesson. When Republican leaders in the House refuse to deal with gun violence, the American people pay the price. During the 7 weeks that the House was in recess, 2,015 people were killed by someone using a gun. Thousands of families across our country have spent the last 7 weeks grieving. While Republicans are putting their fingers in their ears and pretending that our country isn't in the grips of a gun violence epidemic, innocent people continue to die. What makes this inaction even harder to accept is the fact that, for over 3\1/2\ years, I have had bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment legislation that would help make these tragedies less common. My bill would close a dangerous loophole in our background check system that allows criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill to bypass a background check in 34 States when purchasing guns online, at a gun show, or through classified ads. Background checks are our first line of defense when it comes to making sure that dangerous people don't purchase guns. We know that, when used, they work. Every day, background checks stop more than 170 felons, some 50 domestic abusers, and nearly 20 fugitives from buying a gun.…
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Mike Thompson
Democratic · California

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As a matter of fact, one of the witnesses mentioned that, too. I mentioned to the chairman that, you know, that old saying that if you are not at the table, you are on the menu, and I think that might hold true here, as well.

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