Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The 30th Anniversary Of The Brady Bill Going Into Effect And Continuing To Fight The Threat Of Gun Violence
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the floor on the 30th anniversary of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act going into effect and his continued efforts to lead the charge in fighting the threat of gun violence in our communities, including the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in decades. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks which can also be viewed here:
Back when I introduced the Brady Bill, I was a House member representing Brooklyn and Queens.
I knew first-hand the terrible toll of gun violence because the streets of my district –and so many other districts – were witness to it. So, I jumped at the opportunity to work alongside two brave and stalwart people, Jim and Sarah Brady – two American heroes whose lives, of course, were forever changed by gun violence – to help write and pass the Brady Law.
Looking back at the legacy of the Brady Bill after three decades, there’s no doubt it has saved countless lives. There's no way to count, because you don't know who didn't get the gun or who would have, but it's going to be a number with many, many zeros. And it paved the way for future gun safety legislation, like the bipartisan bill we passed two years ago.
The bipartisan gun safety legislation we passed in 2022, in fact, was the most significant and comprehensive action on gun safety since the Brady Bill. And just like its predecessor, it too is already saving lives.
But, it shouldn’t take an assassination attempt against a President, or a mass shooting among these innocent children at an elementary school, for elected leaders to make change happen. Gun violence is one of America’s greatest ills, but is shouldn’t have to be that way. And so, our work – thinking of Jim and Sarah, hovering over us – is far from over.
Democrats remain committed to combating gun violence and make our communities safer. And we will keep pushing. We will keep fighting. We will never let the grief of parents and kids and neighbors and teachers – and all those who have been scarred by gun violence – to recede to the back of our memories. Again, a salute to Jim and Sarah Brady and what they have done for America.
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