Earl Blumenauer: “my concern as a Member of Congress is that the Federal Government does everything it can to be a full partner in…”

“my concern as a Member of Congress is that the Federal Government does everything it can to be a full partner in promoting the livability of our communities, because at the end of the day, what our families care about is that their children are safe when they go out the door to go to school in the morning, that the families are economically secure and healthy. Of those factors, the most important, I am sure, is the safety of those families. We have had within the last 24 hours another tragic reminder that handgun and firearm violence continues to be either the first or second leading cause of death and injury to America's children. It does not have to be this way. A few weeks ago I was honored to host a forum on this topic with several distinguished scholars who discussed ideas with Members of Congress of things we can do to reduce firearm violence with our children. For instance, we have the opportunity to make firearms safer. All we need here in Congress is the will to change Federal policy so that gun manufacturers meet consumer safety standards for their products. It is a shame and a national disgrace that toy guns currently have higher consumer product safety standards than real guns.”