CHAIRMAN MIKE THOMPSON STATEMENT ON NAVY YARD SHOOTING
September 17, 2013
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, released the following statement on yesterday's shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
“Yesterday at a Navy base in Washington, D.C., twelve people were murdered and several more were wounded in yet another horrific mass shooting. While important facts are still being gathered, one thing is clear - Congress cannot keep standing on the sidelines while more and more lives are senselessly cut short by gun violence.
“It's tragic that nine months after the massacre of innocence in Newtown, it takes another mass shooting to restart the debate on how we can best prevent gun violence. 12 innocent public servants didn't come home from work yesterday. Every day, more than thirty people are killed by someone using a gun. Enough is enough.
“We know there is no one law or set of laws that will stop every act of gun violence. But that cannot be used as an excuse to do nothing. Congress needs to act.”
Thompson's task force recommendations released in February are available here.
Thompson is a co-author of H.R. 1565 with Pete King (R-NY). The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation is identical to the bipartisan agreement on background checks struck by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA). More than 180 House members have cosponsored the bill.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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“Yesterday at a Navy base in Washington, D.C., twelve people were murdered and several more were wounded in yet another horrific mass shooting. While important facts are still being gathered, one thing is clear - Congress cannot keep standing on the sidelines while more and more lives are senselessly cut short by gun violence.
“It's tragic that nine months after the massacre of innocence in Newtown, it takes another mass shooting to restart the debate on how we can best prevent gun violence. 12 innocent public servants didn't come home from work yesterday. Every day, more than thirty people are killed by someone using a gun. Enough is enough.
“We know there is no one law or set of laws that will stop every act of gun violence. But that cannot be used as an excuse to do nothing. Congress needs to act.”
Thompson's task force recommendations released in February are available here.
Thompson is a co-author of H.R. 1565 with Pete King (R-NY). The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation is identical to the bipartisan agreement on background checks struck by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA). More than 180 House members have cosponsored the bill.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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Issues:Gun Violence Prevention