On the recordMarch 5, 2013
As a resident of Louisiana, the sportsman's paradise, I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. However, I do not subscribe to the belief that Congress has no role in responding to the gun violence epidemic plaguing communities like New Orleans, Chicago, and Detroit. According to the FBI, 1,464 people were killed by a firearm in New Orleans between 2008 and 2011. That's 1,464 families who will never see their loved ones again. We can't afford to do nothing. We can no longer be the do-nothing Congress. We have a moral obligation to reduce the broad epidemic of gun violence in this country. So I urge my colleagues in Congress to join with me in standing with the victims and families of gun violence to approve legislation that invests in our mental health system, institute more rigorous background checks, and place a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Even incremental progress means fewer heart-broken families. I don't want to see another child fall victim to our selfish efforts to preserve what obviously needs to change. I would remind my colleagues that the life we save may be our own. ____________________
