U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly marked the 10th anniversary Wednesday, Dec. 14, of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that took the lives of 26 people, including 20 children.
“On this day, we are obligated to take the time to remember the lives that were tragically cut short by gun violence in a place meant to nurture and grow young minds,” Kelly said in a statement. “This terrible day united parents, teachers, communities and advocates in grief and in outrage. So many were left asking: How many more children will die because of gun violence before our leaders take meaningful action?
“Thoughts and prayers are not enough to honor the memory of those children who were slain in their classroom. Every person senselessly murdered by gun violence is a failure of our elected leaders who sit back and do nothing but offer thoughts and prayers while they cash checks from the NRA,” Kelly said. “I am in this fight because of the strength and resiliency of the parents who turned their unspeakable grief into action. I will never, ever stop fighting for continued common sense gun reform that will saves thousands of lives.”
This year, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The bill is intended to prevent guns from falling into the hands of criminals, require enhanced background checks for buyers under 21 and support mental health programs that will help to keep schools safe.
“This Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was a step in the right direction, but it is nowhere near what our country needs to combat the scourge of gun violence that senselessly claims innocent lives every single day,” Kelly said.
Kelly is co-chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. She has sponsored five pieces of legislation to address gun violence.
- H.R.6225 – Federal Firearm Licensee Act. This bill would strengthen language and modernize the way gun dealers obtain a federal firearm license.
- H.R.2280 – Prevent Gun Trafficking Act. This bill would specify the prohibition of straw purchasing of firearms, making straw purchasing a federal crime. Similar language to this legislation was included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
- H.R.882 – Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act. This bill prohibits firearm purchases from individuals convicted of a violent crime, misdemeanor or domestic violence incident.
- H.R.881 – To require the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to submit to Congress an annual report on the effects of gun violence on public health. This bill would require the Surgeon General to submit to Congress an annual report on the effects of gun violence on the public’s health.
- H.R.880 – Firearm Safety Act of 2021. This bill would remove the exclusion of pistols, revolvers and other firearms from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) definition of “consumer product.”
“Congress must treat gun violence like the public health crisis that it is,” Kelly said. “That means approaching the issue holistically and addressing root causes so that the people most affected have more opportunities to live better lives.”