ICYMI: On Senate Floor, Warren Calls on Congress to Pass an Assault Weapons Ban to Protect Communities and Save Lives
Warren: “These military-style assault weapons are weapons of war, and they have no place in our communities.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban to address the crisis of gun violence that continues to kill innocent people, tear apart families, and upend communities.
The full text of her remarks are available below.
Remarks as Delivered by Senator Elizabeth Warren
December 6, 2023
We are seeing one of the deadliest years of gun violence in recent history.
There have been more than 600 mass shootings since the beginning of this year alone. That is nearly two mass shootings a day. And assault weapons have become the firearm of choice in more-and-more mass shootings over the decades.
Assault weapons kill with deadly efficiency. When an assault weapon is used in a shooting, more than double the number of people on average are shot, and more than 50% are killed.
Let me be clear: These military-style assault weapons are weapons of war, and they have no place in our communities.
Our kids are growing up seeing military rifles in civilian hands, on the streets and in their classrooms.
Since 2011, the rate of children dying from firearms has skyrocketed by nearly 90%. Enough is enough.
It has never been more obvious that Congress needs to ban assault weapons. This isn't some far-fetched idea. We have tried it. Senator Dianne Feinstein championed an assault weapons ban, and she got it passed into law. It was in place for a full decade from 1994 to 2004. And it worked.
Researchers from Quinnipiac University, from NYU School of Medicine, and more have found that while the ban was in place, there was a meaningful reduction in the number of mass shootings.
But, the law sunsetted in 2004, and in the following two decades, there have been more-and-more-and-more mass shootings. Today, we must act to reinstate a national ban on assault weapons.
It is hard to overstate the urgency of this issue. From Sandy Hook to Parkland, and from Orlando to Uvalde, these horrific mass shootings all involved an assault weapon. This fall shooting in Lewiston, Maine, also involved a powerful assault rifle, and was the deadliest shooting of this year.
After each of these tragedies, Americans ask; What will it take for Congress to act? How many more communities and how many more families will lose loved ones before the laws are changed?
We mourn the individuals lost to gun violence. We mourn the families left behind when a beloved son, or daughter, or mom, or dad is cut down by gun violence. And we mourn the communities torn apart by gun violence.
But they don't need our thoughts and prayers nearly as much as they need Congress to do its job and take action.
We have shown we can act in moments of crisis.
Last year, after twenty-one children and teachers were killed in Uvalde, we passed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. That was the most sweeping gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years. But it didn't go far enough.
This is another moment of crisis.
Today, we have another chance with this vote to make it easier for Americans to move through their daily lives without fear of being gunned down by weapons of war.
I urge Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban that Senator Feinstein secured 30 years ago, and that would help save lives today.
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
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