Eight years after the Sandy Hook shooting in which 20 schoolchildren and six educators were murdered, gun laws remain mostly unchanged, despite efforts from Democrats to push legislation through.
In a statement on the anniversary House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for cooperation in Congress and took aim at Republicans for their “obstruction” of gun control legislation.
Pelosi commemorated the date in her statement, saying, “Since that heartbreaking day, we continue to tell the stories of their beautiful lives and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ending the epidemic of gun violence once and for all.”
She continued, “Republicans continue their years-long, shameful inaction and obstruction of commonsense gun violence prevention as our nation’s young people live in fear.”
The speaker added, “House Democrats have taken bold steps to keep our children safe. Nearly two years ago, the Democratic House passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act, lifesaving bills to help end the scourge of gun violence in our schools and throughout our communities.”
Pelosi also accused Senate Republicans of refusing to “lift a finger to end the bloodshed,” promising, “House Democrats will work with the new Biden-Harris Administration to enact these and other critical bills and deliver the progress the American people demand.”
Following the Sandy Hook shooting, Democrats aimed to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, but it was defeated as an amendment by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.
In his statement on the Sandy Hook anniversary, President-elect Joe Biden told the friends and family of the victims, “No matter how long it’s been, every time you talk about it, you relive it as though you just heard the news. Eight years later, I know the pain never fully heals.”
He continued, “I think about how that day eight years ago was the saddest day we had in the White House.”
Though Biden did not call out Republicans, he did promise those still grieving from Sandy Hook to “fight to end this scourge on our society and enact common sense reforms that are supported by a majority of Americans and that will save countless lives.”
