Dear Mr. Spaziano,
Thank you for contacting me on the important matter of gun violence. On October 1, 2017, a gunman fired upon a crowd of thousands at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. At least 58 individuals were killed and nearly 500 people were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. This horrific event follows a string of gun-related tragedies that continue to shock our nation’s communities, including Orlando, San Bernadino, Roseburg, Charleston, the Navy Yard, Newtown, and Aurora.
Virginia, in particular, has experienced tremendous loss as a result of gun violence. Only a few months ago, an armed man attacked members of Congress and their aides as they practiced for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia. The attacker shot four individuals, including Congressman Steve Scalise. Two heroic Capitol Police officers, Crystal Griner and David Bailey, and the Alexandria Police Department prevented this shooting from becoming even worse. On August 26, 2015, the nation watched in horror as two innocent Virginians, news reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward, were murdered during a live interview at Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Virginia. Eight years prior, on April 16, 2007, a gunman murdered 32 people and wounded 17 others at Virginia Tech in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
More than 30,000 people die each year from gun violence. We must do more than offer thoughts and prayers to honor their memory. We must take action to help prevent more of these heartbreaking tragedies from happening in the future.
The Senate engaged in a debate about gun safety during the spring of 2013 when we considered the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act (S. 649). Even after the horrific loss of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School—and despite bipartisan support—the Senate still was unable to pass responsible, commonsense reforms like closing the gun show loophole.
Following the Orlando shooting in 2016, the Senate again rejected an opportunity to put in place modest but sensible reforms. On June 15, 2016, my colleagues Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) led a 15-hour filibuster that mobilized support for these issues. I was proud to play a role in supporting their efforts by offering remarks on the Senate floor that evening. The following week, the Senate considered amendments to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2578) that would keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists (S.Amdt.4720 and S.Amdt.4858) and expand the criminal background check system (S.Amdt.4750). I was proud to support these efforts, and disappointed that they did not garner the necessary number of votes for passage.
In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, investigators have indicated that the gunman used accessories known as “bump stocks” to modify the rate of fire of his semi-automatic weapons to the rate of automatic weapons. This revelation has sparked a new dialogue in Congress about these devices. I have joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), my fellow Virginian Senator Tim Kaine, and 24 other colleagues in introducing the Automatic Gun Fire Prevention Act to close the loophole that allows semi-automatic weapons to be easily modified to fire at the rate of automatic weapons.
It is my hope that Congress pass all this legislation, while also considering further commonsense reforms that help keep our country safe, such as ensuring universal background checks.
I own firearms and am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Reforms such as expanding and improving background checks do not infringe on the Second Amendment. National polling consistently shows support for requiring background checks for all gun sales near 90 percent, with some polls indicating more gun owners than non-owners in support. While reasonable people can disagree about exactly what approach to take, the facts are not up for debate. Background checks keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them and help protect our families and communities. My colleagues on both sides of the aisle—myself included—must be willing to take a fresh look at legislative proposals to ensure that rampant gun violence does not become the status quo.
Please know that I will continue advocating for responsible reforms that keep criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from owning guns, while also protecting the rights of responsible gun owners. I appreciate your contacting me, and will keep your opinion in mind should the Senate address this issue or other relevant legislation. For further information, or to sign up for my newsletter, please visit my website at http://www.warner.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
MARK R. WARNER
United States Senator
