DPCC Report: 100 Americans Are Killed by Guns Every Day And Republicans Continue To Do Nothing

The U.S. House of Representatives Passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, Almost 200 Days Ago

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, today released a report showing how gun violence is taking the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year. This past August, El Paso, Dayton, and Midland-Odessa joined the growing list of American communities devastated by mass shootings. There have been 291 mass shootings since January 1, 2019 according to the Gun Violence Archive. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8 the Bipartisan Background Checks Act months ago, but Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans continue to do nothing.

 “Whether it’s a school, a store, a movie theater or a child sitting on their couch in front of a window watching TV, this gun violence epidemic has to stop,” said Senator Stabenow.  “While Mitch McConnell and Republicans wait for approval from big money special interests, Americans are dying. Enough is enough—it is time to act. Leader McConnell: what are you waiting for?”

 “With each day that passes without Senate action, more Americans are losing their lives to senseless acts of gun violence. It’s absolutely imperative that we act now,” said Leader Schumer.  “The House-passed Bipartisan Background Checks Act is commonsense, overwhelmingly popular, and would close dangerous gaps in our gun laws, including the loophole that may have allowed the Odessa shooter to buy his murder weapon. I urge President Trump to lead his party in supporting this critical, life-saving effort, and I urge Leader McConnell to answer the calls of the American people—not the gun lobby—and bring this bill to the Senate floor now.”

 According to the report, almost 200 days have passed since H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 240-190. The bill would close loopholes in existing law that allow dangerous individuals to purchase a gun without a background check. 

 Since H.R. 8 passed the House of Representatives, there have been an estimated: 

·         19,500 people killed by firearms

·         11,895 gun suicides

·         6,825 gun homicides

·         780 children killed by a firearm

·         325 women killed with a firearm by an intimate partner