Washington, D.C. – As President Obama announces a new comprehensive effort to reduce gun violence, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a vocal advocate for commonsense measures to end senseless gun crime, issued the following statement:
“I stand firmly with President Obama’s call to action today for a comprehensive approach that refuses to accept gun violence as routine. Congress has ducked action on commonsense gun laws for too long. We have an obligation to prevent tomorrow’s senseless deaths by coming together and ensuring that guns stay out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. Keeping our children safe from the scourge of gun violence is not a Republican or a Democratic principle, this is an issue for all Americans. There is no political ideology that finds this loss of life acceptable. The truth is that supporting the Second Amendment and reducing gun violence are compatible and consistent. Responsible gun owners vehemently oppose the kind of gun violence afflicting the streets of America. I am optimistic the mothers, fathers and reasonable gun owners of America will take back this conversation, and with the support of this new interagency task force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, Congress can come together and agree that no American should have access to the high capacity ammunition clips made for our military, agree to close the gun show loophole, ban military style weapons that have no recreational sports use and stop the flow of illegal guns that are devastating our communities.”