WASHINGTON — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements after President Joe Biden’s call for congressional action on gun safety in a video commemorating the nine year mark of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT. In the video, President Biden reiterated the efforts his administration has already taken, while also calling for Congress to immediately pass legislation to expand background checks on gun sales, reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to disarm domestic abusers, and to pass the Build Back Better Act which includes $5 billion in funding for community violence intervention programs.
“Nine years after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook School, the memory of the victims—and the courage of the survivors—remains a driving force in the movement to spare others from gun violence tragedies,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “President Biden has been the strongest gun safety president in history, and while we know he’ll continue to do everything in his power to save lives, we also join his call for immediate action from Congress.”
“Nine years ago, our nation was forever changed after 26 children and educators were shot and killed at Sandy Hook School,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “While the gun violence prevention movement has made immense strides in the years since the tragedy in statehouses, city councils and boardrooms, we echo President Biden’s message that it’s far past time for Congress to take action and save lives.”
This continues to be the strongest gun safety administration in history, as evidenced by President Biden’s historic executive actions to address gun violence, his long record of taking on the NRA and passing life-saving laws, Vice President Kamala Harris’ years of gun safety advocacy, and the unmatched gun sense cabinet they have built. President Biden has prioritized gun safety since entering office, from combating deadly, untraceable ghost guns, to the Department of Justice’s development of a strategy on reducing violent crime and a new, annual comprehensive report on firearms trafficking, to the new comprehensive strategy to address gun violence that includes efforts to fight gun trafficking, investments in community violence intervention programs, and more. His administration’s Build Back Better Act, which passed the House in November, included a historic $5 billion investment community violence intervention programs focused on preventing gun violence.
