Political Quotes

“four months after that horrific day in Newtown, where 20 children and 6 educators were senselessly murdered, the Senate is poised to make further progress toward the goal of reducing gun violence. It is a goal that all Americans, regardless of political party, should share. I want to thank our ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Senator Grassley, for working with us and supporting two of the measures favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee last month. I commend Senator Collins, who has been my partner, as we have moved forward with legislation to combat illegal gun trafficking and straw purchasers who obtain firearms to provide them to criminals and gangs. We have been joined in that bipartisan effort by Senators Durbin, Gillibrand, Kirk, Klobuchar, Franken, Blumenthal, Shaheen, and King. Our bill is intended to give law enforcement better and more effective tools. A bipartisan majority of the Judiciary Committee voted for the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act, S. 54, and its provisions are included in the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act, S. 649, that Majority Leader Reid placed on the Senate calendar just before the last recess and on which he has now moved to proceed. Straw purchasers circumvent the purposes of the background check system. Straw purchasing firearms is undertaken for one reason--to get a gun into the hands of someone who is legally prohibited from having one.…”