Warren, Murphy, HELP Committee Democrats Request Committee Hearing on Causes & Remedies of School Shootings
Senators: "It is our responsibility to address gun violence like the public health crisis that it is, investigate the causes of these deadly acts of violence and hatred, and make policy changes to ensure that they no longer happen."
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led HELP Committee Democrats in calling on Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to hold a HELP hearing as soon as possible on the causes and remedies of school and other mass shootings. The senators argued that it is Congress' responsibility to address gun violence in this country as a public health crisis.
"On February 14, 2018, America witnessed one of the deadliest mass shootings in our nation's history when fourteen students and three faculty members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. According to the New York Times, since December 2012, when 20 first graders and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, there have been at least 239 school shootings," the senators wrote. "These shootings have left 138 dead and thousands of students, families, and communities traumatized."
The senators continued, "As Senators, it is our responsibility to address gun violence like the public health crisis that it is, investigate the causes of these deadly acts of violence and hatred, and make policy changes to ensure that they no longer happen. Doing so necessitates hearing from survivors of gun violence and others who have been affected, including students, parents, and teachers. Therefore, we request that you hold a hearing as soon as possible to examine the causes and remedies for mass shootings, including school shootings, across the country."
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) also signed the letter.
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