Washington, D.C. — Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement on the shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio:
“Alongside the entire nation, the unspeakable acts of violence in El Paso and Dayton have left us horrified and brokenhearted. There is a gun violence epidemic in this country and it has gone unaddressed for far too long. There is also a growing culture of violence that requires leadership from President Trump and all of us — Republicans and Democrats — to address.
“With a deadly week of violence that saw three mass shootings, it is time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to immediately pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, sensible gun reforms passed by the House that are waiting for Senate action. That the Republican-led Senate has refused to act in the face of preventable carnage is an outrage and a disgrace.
“But we must still do more. We must immediately consider H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, introduced by Congressman David Cicilline, which would stop the unchecked access to weapons of war, such as the guns used in both Dayton and El Paso.
“Finally, we call on President Trump and our Republican colleagues to specifically condemn white nationalism and racism, which is on the rise and abetted by this President and Republicans in Congress. These acts of domestic terrorism were made possible by the proliferation of weapons of war on our streets. This is — in the words of former Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — ‘white terrorism.’ We must immediately direct the FBI to make substantial efforts to root out this terrorism that is killing people in communities across our country.
"These continuing tragedies cannot go unanswered and deserve our boldest, most courageous stances to take on what is destroying the safety of every single American. Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the communities of El Paso and Dayton. We mourn with you and pledge to do everything in our power to end this gun violence epidemic.”
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