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January
22,
2016
Dear
Friend,
Over
the
last
few
months,
there’s
been
an
ongoing
conversation
about
our
nation’s
gun
laws.
That’s
no
surprise
given
the
recent
mass
shootings
at
Umpqua
Community
College
in
Oregon,
at
a
Planned
Parenthood
Clinic
in
Colorado
Springs
and
at
a
county
government
facility
in
San
Bernardino,
California.
But
these
tragic
acts
of
violence
are
not
a
new
phenomenon.
We’ve
endured
them
far
too
many
times.
And
sadly,
Congress
has
failed
to
have
a
serious
and
clear-eyed
discussion
about
how
to
improve
gun
safety
and
reduce
the
number
of
mass
shootings
that
occur
in
America.
Personally,
I
refuse
to
accept
the
idea
that
we
can’t
do
anything
about
gun
violence.
There
are
over
30,000
gun-related
deaths
in
America
every
year
and
the
rate
of
mass
shootings
in
this
country
is
far
higher
than
any
other
developed
nation.
We
must
act.
To
this
end,
President
Obama
recently
proposed
steps
to
improve
gun
safety
that
would
in
no
way
infringe
on
the
legal
rights
of
law-abiding
gun
owners.
I
believe
that
before
it
was
even
possible
to
read
the
President’s
actual
proposal,
the
Speaker
of
the
House
condemned
it.
The
Speaker
even
went
so
far
as
to
say
that
the
President’s
“words
and
actions
amount
to
a
form
of
intimidation
that
undermines
liberty.”
That
is
irresponsible
rhetoric
and
is
largely
an
invention
of
the
gun
lobby
–
a
group
that’s
become
the
master
of
political
intimidation.
A
dangerous
strain
of
absolutism
has
been
unleashed
in
Congress.
Any
proposal
to
improve
gun
safety
is
deceptively
labeled
as
a
slippery
slope
toward
the
universal
confiscation
of
Americans’
firearms.
These
falsehoods
–
driven
by
a
gun
lobby
that
often
profits
after
mass
shootings
–
threaten
the
safety
of
our
communities
and
the
health
of
our
democracy.
Most
Americans
want
Congress
to
take
action
to
reduce
gun
violence.
Recent
polling
shows
that
73
percent
of
voters
support
the
President’s
recent
proposal
to
require
anyone
who
sells
a
large
number
of
guns
per
year
to
become
a
licensed
gun
dealer.
In
fact,
this
broad
support
includes
64
percent
of
gun
owners.
And
there’s
similar
levels
of
support
for
universal
background
checks.
But
despite
the
public’s
backing,
Congress
has
failed
to
pass
a
single
bill
to
help
stem
the
tide
of
gun
violence
in
our
nation.
It’s
time
for
Congress
to
prioritize
public
safety
over
the
gun
lobby’s
political
machine.
We
must
pass
commonsense
solutions
that
can
help
reduce
the
number
of
mass
shootings
and
gun
deaths
in
our
country.
Universal
background
checks;
new
gun
safety
technology;
limiting
the
availability
of
assault
rifles
and
high-capacity
magazines
–
these
are
reasonable
measures
that
enjoy
broad
public
support.
All
should
be
fully
debated
and
given
an
up
or
down
vote
in
Congress.
President
Obama
recently
said
“All
of
us
need
to
demand
a
Congress
brave
enough
to
stand
up
to
the
gun
lobby’s
lies.”
I
agree.
We
need
to
take
back
our
government
from
special
interests
like
the
gun
lobby.
That’s
why
I’ve
introduced
the
Government
by
the
People
Act
(H.R.
20)
–
which
would
create
a
system
of
citizen-funded
elections
that
makes
everyday
Americans
just
as
powerful
as
big-money
donors.
If
Congress
was
more
responsive
to
the
public
interest,
not
special
interests,
we
could
pass
legislation
to
reduce
gun
violence
in
our
country
and
make
our
communities
safer.
Even
still,
as
a
nation
we
must
strive
for
a
more
composed
and
constructive
conversation
about
how
we
can
improve
gun
safety
in
America.
In
Congress,
I
will
continue
pushing
for
practical
solutions
that
keep
firearms
out
of
the
hands
of
those
who
wish
us
harm.
And
with
the
support
of
the
American
public,
it
is
my
sincere
hope
that
we
can
make
progress
possible.
Sincerely,
John
P.
Sarbanes
Maryland's
Third
Congressional
District
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