Joe Morelle: “We mark the beginning of Gun Violence Awareness Month clouded in tragedy and heartbreak as our Nation yet again mourns…”

“We mark the beginning of Gun Violence Awareness Month clouded in tragedy and heartbreak as our Nation yet again mourns the loss of innocent life and confronts another act of senseless gun violence. As a Nation, we grieve with the Virginia Beach community. We must now ask ourselves how many more lives will be allowed to be lost before we finally say enough is enough? How many children, how many neighbors, how many colleagues and friends must we lose before we finally take action to make commonsense gun reform a reality? ``Run, hide, and fight'' should no longer be a phrase our children must learn along with their ABCs. Each day that passes without universal background checks, without a ban on military-style assault weapons, without safe storage and red flag laws, we risk the loss of more innocent life. This Gun Violence Awareness Month should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans. What are we waiting for? The time to act is now. ____________________”