June 22, 2016
Contact: Kyle Roerink
Phone: 202-657-3219

Today Congresswoman Dina Titus and her Democratic colleagues called on Republicans to vote on proposals that would implement commonsense gun reforms. She joined her colleagues on the House floor and on the steps of the Capitol to demand action from the House GOP.

“In June of 2014, I stood in this very spot on the Floor of the House of Representatives to ask my colleagues to join me in a moment of silence to honor the lives and memories of three members of the Las Vegas community who were murdered in a shooting spree.  They included two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers who were just having lunch and a shopper at a nearby Walmart who tried to help.

“At that moment, I joined one of the only clubs in Washington that no one wants to belong to – a club of those who have stood here calling for a moment of silence to mourn victims of gun violence in their home communities. 
Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to see more and more members join this infamous club over the past several years. We need to shut this club down. 

  “Like an overwhelming majority of Americans and my Nevada constituents, I support commonsense reforms to our nation’s gun laws. Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric from the other side. This is not about legitimate gun ownership. I’m a gun owner. I grew up in the South where guns hang over most mantles. And now I live in the West where guns are a major part of our culture. This is about taking reasonable, responsible action to make our communities safer.  With more than 108,000 Americans shot every year, our nation has mourned the loss of too many innocent lives as a result of gun violence. 

“We have had too many moments of silence. Now is the time to raise our voices. Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to stand up to the NRA and say our first graders, our movie goers, our police officers, our urban youth, our LGBT friends are more valuable than your endorsement.” 

Background: 

House Democrats are asking the Republican leadership to bring two bills to the floor for a vote: The first, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015, H.R. 1076, states that if you’re too dangerous to fly, you’re too dangerous to buy a gun. The second, the Public safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, H.R. 1217, would close the loophole on background checks for Internet and gun show sales.