John, 

Over the course of 13 hours, Americans suffered through two more mass shootings. At least 31 people in Texas and Ohio are now dead, and many more lie injured.

In Dayton, police responded within one minute, a testament to the courage and decisive action of local law enforcement. Yet despite their immediate response, the shooter was still able to murder nine people.

In El Paso, the shooter authored a violent, racist manifesto—full of white supremacist ideology and blind hatred towards immigrants—before murdering 22 people who were out shopping on a Saturday morning.

Back-to-back shootings like these demonstrate a fundamental failure our country faces, which is to put simple gun violence prevention laws into place.

In the House of Representatives, we passed—with bipartisan support—a universal background check bill. The bill's premise is simple: we have background checks at all federally-licensed gun sellers, and we should apply the same standard to all firearms purchases everywhere—including online and at gun shows. We also passed an amendment to close the Charleston Loophole, which allowed a man who should not have been able to acquire a firearm to buy a gun and then walk into a church armed and murder nine people during Bible study.

In the House, we passed this legislation, and yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will not bring our bill up for a vote. Our legislation will not fully solve the problem, but it’s a critical step toward preventing the senseless loss of life we are faced with all too often. Furthermore, the vast majority of Americans support it, and yet the Senate routinely obstructs our progress.

We have no choice but to act. The victims in Dayton, El Paso, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Newtown—and in so many more places across our country too heartbreaking to list —deserve more than empty promises. They deserve action. The Senate must bring our bills to the floor for a vote, and every elected leader must not only denounce the hate that is eating away at the fabric of our communities but take action to prevent it from manifesting into yet another mass murder.

Sign the petition: tell the Senate to bring our bills to a vote>>>

Thank you,

  -Abigail

Abigail Spanberger is a proud Democrat, former CIA officer, and representative for Virginia's 7th Congressional District. She believes in leadership that flows from our shared American values of integrity, responsibility, and decency, and she wants to work to move this country forward together. To learn more, please visit AbigailSpanberger.com.

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