July 11, 2022

Duckworth Statement on Bipartisan Gun Safety Reform Ceremony: “Our Work to Save Lives Must Continue”

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the White House today commemorated the monumental passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bipartisan package of commonsense gun safety reforms to help curb our nation’s gun violence epidemic:

“After decades of inaction, I’m proud to have joined both Democrats and Republicans in finally breaking the log jam and passing this bipartisan gun safety package that will enhance background checks, help states implement red flag laws, work to close the boyfriend loophole and, ultimately, save lives. This is an important moment in our efforts to make this country safer for everyone, but it is not the end of the road.”

“My mind keeps going back to Highland Park—to the sound of a weapon of war ringing out when Illinois families should’ve been celebrating our nation. We have to do more to keep our communities safe. We have to pass additional commonsense reforms that wide majorities of Americans are crying out for—that 6 Illinoisans can no longer cry out for. I won’t let their memories or any victims of senseless gun violence be forgotten.”

Throughout her time in Congress, Duckworth has advocated for legislation that would prohibit illegal firearms trafficking—a provision which was successfully included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which was signed into law just days before the Highland Park massacre. In the wake of the Uvalde massacre, Duckworth spoke on the Senate floor urging her colleagues to suspend the chamber’s filibuster rule to pass overdue, obvious and commonsense gun safety legislation that the majority of Americans support and that could prevent countless future massacres. Duckworth helped introduce several bills that would help prevent gun violence and save lives, including legislation to expand background checks, ban assault weapons, ban high-capacity magazines, close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to legally obtain weapons, prohibit unlicensed firearm ownership and the transfer of firearms without a valid firearms license and more.

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