Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the push for gun control is not over, one day before the anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“At a time when more than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns each year, it is shameful that the United States Senate can’t pass gun safety legislation that would protect our most vulnerable citizens — our children,” Reid said in a floor speech on Friday, citing the “activism” of the family members in “raising awareness about gun violence and mental health issues.”
Many of the family members of the victims have appeared on the Hill multiple times to lobby for gun legislation; a number were present when the Senate failed to pass such legislation over the summer.
“I promise the families of the 26 innocents killed a year ago in Newtown — and the 173 children killed by guns since December 14, 2012 — that Senate Democrats will not give up on them,” Reid said. “We will not give up on the victims of 26 school shootings that have occurred since the Newtown massacre — including one in Sparks, Nevada that took the life of a teacher and injured two students. And we will not give up on the families and friends of those gunned down at a movie theater in Colorado and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and a shopping mall in Oregon — and every day on the streets of American cities.”
Reid has previously said that he would like to pass gun control measures, but that for now, the votes are not there. But he said Friday that the push for some kind of gun legislation is not over.
“Last December I promised the families of Newtown a meaningful conversation about how to change America’s culture of violence,” he said. “I want everyone within the sound of my voice to know that the conversation is not over. The American people will prevail. And I urge the families and friends of those killed in Newtown to never lose hope.”