Katherine Clark: “The American people have been very clear. They are demanding a vote to keep American families safe from gun violence.…”

“The American people have been very clear. They are demanding a vote to keep American families safe from gun violence. When the Speaker announced a vote this week on gun legislation, the American people hoped this would be the moment when the silence would end and debating and voting here in Congress on commonsense proposals to curb gun violence would begin. Instead, American families have been given a bait-and-switch. And for years, the majority of Americans have supported bipartisan, commonsense legislation that has been gathering dust on the Speaker's desk. Over the last few weeks since the horrendous event in Orlando, whether it was a sit-in on the floor of the House, to demonstrations across this country, the American people have clearly stated they will no longer stand for capitulation to the gun lobby. Yet, instead of listening to those demands, Speaker Ryan has doubled down on the gun lobby's demands. You, in America, are 25 times more likely to be shot to death than in any other developed country. But we know it doesn't have to be this way. We can look to my home State of Massachusetts where we rolled up our sleeves. We had tough debates with local communities, with sportsmen, with gun rights advocates, with law enforcement, moms, dads, teachers, voices from across our communities and neighborhoods. We worked together to close loopholes and enact some of the strongest gun safety bills in the country. What happened as a result?…”