Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly (Americans For Responsible Solutions) e-mail today:
Like much of America, we woke up this morning to news reports of yet another mass shooting, this time in Orlando, Florida. But as the morning progressed, it was clear that this tragedy was different: with the latest reports of 50 dead, it is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of our country.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Orlando, especially its LGBTQ community. But for those who have the power to act and save lives, thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough.
We've watched as people have used the words "unthinkable" and "unimaginable" to describe these events, but the sad truth is that is not true. The United States is the only advanced country in the world where these kinds of mass shootings happen with this kind of frequency.
Enough is enough: Congress must act.
Congress must close loopholes in our laws that allows criminals and domestic abusers to get their hands on guns. Congress must act to ensure that the dangerously mentally ill find it easier to access affordable treatment than a firearm.
And while we are still learning all of the details about what happened, there are news reports that the Orlando shooter was tracked by the FBI. Late last year, Congress failed to pass a law that would have closed the "terror gap" that allows people on an FBI watch list to legally purchase guns. That has to change, as well.
These actions may or may not have stopped last night's shooting, but we know they will save lives.
Tell Congress: Enough is enough, make our communities safer from gun violence by taking action to make it harder for criminals, terrorists, and the dangerously mentally ill to get their hands on guns.
We are praying for strength for the people of Orlando, just as we have and continue to for the people of Newtown, Aurora, San Bernardino, Isla Vista, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Milwaukee, Tucson, Roseburg, Washington, D.C., and far too many other communities in this country.
But like President Obama has said before, "If we truly care about this -- if we're going to offer up our thoughts and prayers again, for God knows how many times, with a truly clean conscience -- then we have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them. Period. Enough is enough."
It is time for Congress to act.
All our best,
Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly
Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC
http://action.americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/page/s/orlando?
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