Mikie Sherrill: “There have been 37 days so far in 2020. More gun deaths happened in this country in the first 37 days than in every…”

“There have been 37 days so far in 2020. More gun deaths happened in this country in the first 37 days than in every other high-income nation in a year. The tragedy of gun violence in this country is that it is preventable; 36,000 American lives are needlessly lost annually. Tens of thousands more are shot, injured, or left grieving for a family member, like Jamie McLaughlin from my community in New Jersey. Twenty-eight years ago, Jamie's brother, Chet, was shot and killed. In honor of Chet and National Gun Violence Survivors Week, Jamie recently shared that there is not a day that goes by that she doesn't ache for her brother's presence in her life. Families across this country grieve like Jamie, waiting for the Senate to have the courage to act. We passed a bipartisan background check bill 344 days ago, a commonsense measure that more than 90 percent of Americans in this country support. We owe action to victims, survivors, and families torn apart by gun violence. It is time, past time, that the Senate acts and passes H.R. 8. ____________________”