This weekend marks a somber anniversary for our community: 26 years since the Columbine High School shooting.

Since then, we have mourned the lost lives, questioned how such a tragedy could happen, and promised to make a difference.

Unfortunately, too little has changed in the last 26 years.

We’ve had to grieve the loss of too many lives — at schools, movie theaters, places of worship, and grocery stores. Each casualty is more than just a statistic — they’re victims of a system that has stood with special interests and the gun lobby over public safety and protecting lives.

They’re why I fight so hard for gun violence prevention legislation.

Don’t be fooled by the gun lobby. We don’t have to choose between safer communities and protecting our Second Amendment rights. We must pass common-sense reforms to curb gun violence, including background checks and closing loopholes.

My priority in Congress is to work to stop the gun violence epidemic. I will always put our children, our families, and our communities first.

There’s still much more work to be done — like getting military-grade weapons off our streets and fighting for more background checks.

Not a day goes by when I do not remember the victims of gun violence, and I promise to continue doing everything in my power to fight for safer communities.

In solidarity,

Jason