Ted Deutch: “What do the mayors of cities like Houston, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Portland, Maine, have in common? They all…”

“What do the mayors of cities like Houston, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Portland, Maine, have in common? They all support closing loopholes in our background check laws, loopholes that let convicted felons and those with severe mental illness buy deadly weapons. That is just one of the findings from Politico magazine's recent ``What Works'' survey of mayors from across the country. In red States and in blue States in every part of this country, 90 percent of mayors say they want stronger background checks, 86 percent say they want the gun show loophole closed, and 78 percent want those subject to restraining orders barred from ever buying guns. It is no surprise why. America's mayors witness up close the gun violence that plagues our country every day. They know the victims of the homicides, the suicides, the accidental shootings, and the domestic gun violence that leave families forever shattered. They know how hollow the gun lobby sounds when it says there is nothing we can do to prevent more tragedies, and they know that it is within the power of this Congress to fix the laws that do not work and to save the lives that need not be lost. ____________________”