After the weekend atrocities carried out by homegrown terrorists, it’s time for the U.S. to channel disgust and dismay into political action.
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August 5, 2019
Photographer: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Don't Let This Moment Pass

After the weekend atrocities carried out by homegrown terrorists, it’s time for the U.S. to channel disgust and dismay into political action.

By Michael R. Bloomberg
 
Maybe this time will be different. That’s the thought on the minds of many Americans now.

Two mass shootings in 24 hours have left at least 29 people murdered and many dozens more wounded. This, just a few days after a shooter at a festival in California killed three and wounded a dozen — with shooting sprees in Brooklyn, Chicago and Mississippi that also left people dead, dozens wounded and communities shaken.

President Donald Trump addressed the nation today but failed to mention the two most important words in this debate: background checks. While he said he supports a federal red-flag law, which allows law enforcement to remove guns from those who pose serious mental-health risks, he has yet to push for it. And he pinned more blame on video games and the internet than on our laws that enable such horrific violence — the usual dodge.

And so a familiar ritual threatens to repeat. Politicians express sympathy for the victims, hint at openness to insufficient actions, then run out the clock as public attention moves elsewhere. It’s an appalling cycle of political malfeasance that is in danger of recurring even now — after a weekend in which a man in El Paso murdered 20 and wounded dozens, and the very next day a shooter in Dayton killed at least nine and wounded at least 26.

Continue reading Mike's op-ed on Bloomberg Opinion
 

Take Action


Email or call your senators and tell them to take action on passing background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law: Text CHECKS to 644-33 and Everytown for Gun Safety will connect you.
 

Thousands of Moms, Students, and Gun Violence Survivors Attend 2019 Gun Sense University


On Friday, Mike delivered a speech to over 2,000 moms, students, and gun violence survivors from around the country gathered in the nation’s capital for Gun Sense University – a weekend-long conference providing training on phone-banking, running for office, data management, fundraising, volunteer management, list making, and event management. Following the tragic mass shooting in El Paso, TX on Saturday, hundreds of moms and students marched to the White House to demand action on background check legislation.

In Mike's words: “The conventional wisdom was that guns were the third rail of politics – and no one would touch the issue. I never believed that the conventional wisdom was true. But now, thanks to people like Lucy [McBath], we have not only proven that it's false, we've proven that exactly the opposite is true. Voters want candidates to take strong positions on gun safety, and they are going to reward those that do."

 Read Mike's full speech at MikeBloomberg.com and watch the speech here.
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