No words can encapsulate the pain, grief, and devastation felt throughout the country today. Today we mourn the loss of 19 children and two teachers, killed by a senseless and preventable act of gun violence in Uvalde, Texas.

Another community has been shattered by gruesome violence at the hands of a gunman – facilitated by the inaction and ignorance of Republican lawmakers, who have failed to keep our children, our schools, and our communities safe from gun violence.

Texas has suffered some of the most deadly mass shootings in recent history, yet Republicans in the legislature have continually loosened gun safety laws. The state does not require background checks for all gun sales, and last year, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill making Texas a "Second Amendment Sanctuary". It’s horrifying.

Texas’ gun laws are incredibly weak, but the state is by no means an outlier. Republican state legislators nationwide are pushing laws that expand gun accessibility, including legislation to weaken background checks, loosen requirements for permits or training to carry a hidden gun, and even refuse enforcement of any new federal gun laws.

Gun violence is not inevitable. For decades, Republican lawmakers have used their power in the states to place the interests of the NRA and gun lobby at a higher value than the lives of our children and family members. They are complicit in this epidemic of violence.

Democratic-controlled state legislatures have passed a slate of gun reform laws to keep our communities safe – requiring universal background checks, implementing waiting periods, passing red flag laws, and banning ghost guns. There is an undeniable correlation between strong gun safety laws and low gun death rates. These Democratic-led efforts are life-saving and essential.

In this painful moment, we are once again reminded of the lasting consequences of our elections. Our Democratic state legislators are working to enact meaningful, life-saving change through gun safety reforms, while state Republicans are continuing down their path of inaction and willful ignorance.

We must elect state Democratic leaders who will prioritize the lives of their constituents over the gun lobby – who will lead with the urgency and empathy that this moment demands. Countless lives are at stake.

–Jessica Post
President, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

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