Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this weekend, Americans around the country and at, at least, a dozen places in my State of Ohio will hold peaceful marches in their communities to demand that we in this body--the people who represent them--actually do something to protect them from gun violence, not just state that my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families but to actually do something. That sort of activism is so important to our democracy. Change never starts in Washington. We make progress because of the grassroots movements of Americans across our country who demand action. For too long, Congress has ignored millions of Americans who want reasonable gun safety measures. Instead, this Congress continues to do the bidding of the gun lobbyists. We already see activism making a difference. It is a minor step, but this week, in the bipartisan budget deal, we will vote to loosen government regulations that severely limit research on gun safety. It is an important first step, but we have a long way to go. We can't say we are doing what it takes to keep our country safe until we are finally willing to pass commonsense laws that protect all Americans from gun violence. Many of us have tried. I supported the original Federal assault weapons ban in 1994 during my first term in Congress. I joined with many of my colleagues to vote to renew it after the shooting at Sandy Hook. Weapons of war don't belong on our streets or in our classrooms.…”