Senator Murray: “We don’t have to live like this—this is a solvable problem. I’ll keep pushing for gun safety laws that the majority of Americans support.”
ICYMI: Senator Murray gave a floor speech following the Uvalde school shooting
***WATCH SENATOR MURRAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE HERE***
(Seattle, WA) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, hosted a press conference in Seattle to call for federal gun safety legislation. Senator Murray was joined by State Representative Liz Berry, Alliance for Gun Responsibility CEO Renée Hopkins, Seattle educator Joaquin Rodriguez, and Lincoln High sophomore Chetan Soni at the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility headquarters. Murray’s press conference comes as Senate Democrats are working with Senate Republicans to try and negotiate a legislative package that would help address gun violence and build safer communities. Murray made clear that she is ready to work with anyone to pass anything that may help save lives, but that she would also keep pushing for popular, commonsense proposals—like universal background checks and an assault weapons ban—despite Republicans’ refusal to negotiate broader reforms.
At the event, Senator Murray spoke directly to parents, teachers, and students on the need for federal action on gun violence and thanked local advocates for their work to end gun violence. Murray also held up Washington state as an example of effective gun laws and highlighted her long standing support for popular, effective gun safety legislation.
“These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for our country. We saw the shooting in Buffalo at a grocery store, then in Uvalde at an elementary school, and then in Tulsa at a hospital. We don’t have to live like this—this is a solvable problem,” said Senator Murray. “As frustrating as Republican obstruction of gun safety reforms has been, doing nothing and letting this continue to happen is the most extreme option on the table. I’ll keep pushing for gun safety laws that the majority of Americans support like universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. And in the meantime, I’ll keep working with my Republican colleagues to pass anything that might help save lives.”
“As former Legislative Director to U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, ending gun violence is personal to me. Gun violence is preventable and I’m proud that Washington state has been a bright spot in passing commonsense measures like bans on ‘ghost’ guns and high-capacity magazines to keep our communities safe,” said Washington State Representative Liz Berry. “I am grateful that Senator Murray has been a leader on gun safety in the other Washington for decades and know she will keep fighting for Congress to find the courage to act.”
“In Washington state, we have proven that we are not doomed to repeat the same cycle of thoughts, prayers, and inaction. We have proven that progress is possible. We’ve led the country in passing evidence-based policies and supporting proven programs to keep our schools and communities safe from gun violence,” said Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility CEO Renée Hopkins. “Now, it’s time for the other Washington to follow suit. We are grateful for leaders like Sen. Murray who are tirelessly and courageously fighting for the federal action we urgently need.”
“Too many precious young lives are being lost to senseless acts of gun violence. As a nation, we have the power to reduce and/or eliminate mass shootings,” said BRAVE Young People CEO Theresa Hardy. “There is an outcry for gun safety laws that will protect us and our communities.”
“Our kids deserve to go to school, make friends, learn about the world, and learn to be their full selves. How can they feel free to be all they can be when they’re worried about whether or not they’re going to make it home? Our kids deserve better — and we know how to do better by them,” said Seattle Education Association Center for Racial Equity Director Joaquin Rodriguez. “We must pass common sense gun laws that get at the root causes of gun violence. I appreciate Senator Murray’s work on this issue and look forward to working with her to get these policies signed into law.”
“Since the start of middle school, there has never been a day where I haven’t thought “what if today is the day that a school shooter comes”. It’s sad to think that in our schools, we treat gun violence as a when, not if, situation,” said Lincoln High sophomore Chetan Soni. “Washington State voters and legislators have done a good job keeping Washington youth safe. It is time to extend that federally, and I am so glad that Senator Murray has been fighting for years to prevent gun violence so that all of us can live in a safe world, free from the horrors of gun violence, especially at schools.”
As Chair of the HELP Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray has repeatedly fought to invest federal resources in gun violence prevention research—notably, in 2020 Murray helped usher in the first federal funding for gun violence prevention research in decades and has successfully fought to sustain that funding every year since. Murray has been a strong supporter of common-sense gun safety reforms. For years, Senator Murray has pushed for popular reforms such as universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, extreme risk protection orders, and more.
While Washington state already has many of these measures in place at the state level, Senator Murray has made clear that the epidemic of gun violence in America cannot be fully addressed without federal action. Senator Murray has cosponsored important firearm legislation proposals in this Congress. Most notably, she is a cosponsor of the Background Check Expansion Act, the Assault Weapons Ban Act, and the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (ERPO is another term used for red flag laws). Senator Murray also applauded President Biden’s decision to treat ghost guns as the deadly weapons they are and is a cosponsor of the 3D Printed Gun Safety Act. Following the Uvalde school shooting, Senator Murray delivered a speech on the Senate floor, calling on Republicans to answer the call of the American people and come to the table to make progress on gun violence prevention.
###
English 
Spanish