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John,
In our line of work, victories can be few and far between – passing meaningful legislation is incredibly difficult and takes years of preparation, negotiation, and public persuasion. It's a painstakingly slow process.
So, when meaningful legislation does pass – or in the case of the bipartisan gun safety reform deal announced yesterday, looks almost certain to pass – we need to take a moment and acknowledge all the hard work and determination that went into making it happen.
When it comes to gun safety reform, we also need to acknowledge the ugly truth that this moment would never have come if not for the earth-shattering pain so many of our fellow Americans had to endure, either as direct victims of gun violence, or as families and friends of those victims.
The leading cause of death for children in this country is gun violence. The leading cause of death for young men in this country is gun violence. Those are tragic deaths that could have – no, should have – been prevented, and I am hopeful this bill will prevent many more such deaths in the years to come.
I know the cynics out there will say, “It hasn’t passed yet … and anyway, it won't change a thing – the NRA will find loopholes.”
If that’s how you feel right now, I hear you, I really do, and I understand 100% why you feel that way … but I truly believe you’re wrong.
Senator Chris Murphy’s announcement yesterday brought me to tears. Finally, we’re seeing some action. Finally, we made an impact!
The marches, the letters we wrote, the calls we made, the boycotts we led, it worked! The framework of this bill is bipartisan – 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats – and Senator Murphy led the way.
Let me break down the most important bullet points of this bill:
1. Incentivizes states to pass “red-flag laws” with offers of grants and federal funding.
2. Closes the “boyfriend loophole” that currently allows people convicted of domestic violence against an unmarried partner to keep their guns.
3. Expands background checks for gun buyers under 21, including unsealing any juvenile and mental health records that may raise red flags for background check investigators.
4. Cracks down on off-the-books private gun “resellers” – requiring more of them to register as federally licensed dealers and conduct background checks before all sales.
5. Provides additional funding for school security, violence prevention efforts, and safety training.
6. Increases access to mental health care, including suicide prevention programs, crisis and trauma intervention, and recovery.
This is a really big deal, but we still have a lot of work to do. I wish this deal would have included stronger regulation of the AR-15 and other military-style assault rifles, along with expanded background checks for all gun buyers. Still, it’s a good start … and of course, we’ll fight like hell to make sure it’s not the end.
As Democrats, we believe in the 2nd Amendment. We also believe that weapons of war do not belong in the hands of the violent and deranged. These two beliefs are not contradictory.
And that actually brings me to my second point: It’s no secret that between inflation and the Senate Republicans’ obstruction of the vast majority of our agenda, we are getting our butts kicked in the field of public opinion these days.
So, when we DO achieve victories like this one, we need to scream about it from the rooftops: “ We Democrats made this happen!”
While this deal is nominally bipartisan, it’s our side that forced the issue, it’s our side that kept bringing it up on the Senate floor, and ultimately, it’s our side that’s going to pass it.
Remember, just 10 Republicans signed on – exactly enough to get us past their own party’s filibuster, and no more.
And while I’m thankful for their cooperation, I believe it was a Democrat who made it happen – I believe it was Senator Murphy’s emotional plea the day of the shooting in Uvalde that made it impossible for Senators Graham, Susan Collins, and the other Republicans who signed onto the deal to ignore him and this issue.
So, shout it from the rooftops: We did this! (And with a stronger Senate majority, we could do so much more.)
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As a parent of two young children, this deal makes me feel better about the direction of our country, and I hope you feel the same.
This is why we do what we do, and why we’ll continue to work so hard to elect people who will pass meaningful legislation that will not only protect our lives, but better them.
--Hassan and the No Dem Left Behind team
No Dem Left Behind is a federal PAC focused on building a base of support for progressive values in rural America. We are committed to helping solve the issues that people in rural America face by creating a foundation of trust and helping great local leaders emerge to run for elected office. We provide a national platform for our endorsed Democratic candidates to increase their exposure and help them mount winning campaigns.
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