Tom Malinowski: “June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and I am so tired of watching innocent children being lowered into the ground. A…”

“June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and I am so tired of watching innocent children being lowered into the ground. A week ago, there was another mass shooting in Virginia Beach. The shooter had a sound suppressor and a large capacity magazine. And it struck me: these things which gave him an advantage are banned in my home State of New Jersey. We have one of the lowest rates of gun violence of any State in America. Why is that? We have poverty, we have crime, we have mental illness just like other States, but we also have sensible gun laws. It has been just over 100 days since the House passed a sensible gun bill that the vast majority of Americans support. Universal background checks will save lives. The Senate could pass this bill today, but the Senate majority leader refuses to hold a vote. Mr. Speaker, this is what the voters who sent us here are most tired of: special interests blocking action on what most of us agree must be done. It is time for the Senate to give the American people the safety and common sense that they voted for and, at long last, pass universal background checks. ____________________”