Protecting our Children

Remembering Those Lost to Gun Violence

On Wednesday, I joined California Moms Demand Action, United Playaz and community activists at the United Playaz Clubhouse in the South of Market neighborhood for a Wear Orange community event in recognition of the countless lives affected by gun violence. The event marked the start of United Playaz' Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Project (CPTED) ahead of National Gun Violence Awareness Day as well as the beginning of Wear Orange weekend.

United Playaz is a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development organization, providing a comprehensive range of services to prepare vulnerable youth for higher education, employment and healthy living with a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment. This year, my office was proud to request $4 million to help United Playaz purchase an additional building to accommodate the growing number of individuals that the group serves.

Taking Action to Save Lives
The hearts of all Americans are broken as we pray for those who have lost a loved one to gun violence and for the families left forever shattered. We continue to draw inspiration from the extraordinary courage and resilience of the survivors, who are transforming their anguish into action.

When we return to the Capitol next week, House Democrats will take further action to stem the tide of gun violence. The Protecting Our Children Act will make an enormous difference in our fight against gun violence by:

• raising the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old
• outlawing high-capacity magazines and bump stocks for civilian use, as these only make mass shootings more deadly
• subjecting ghost gun purchases to background check requirements
• cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets
• strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings

We will also vote on the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act from Congresswoman Lucy McBath and Congressman Salud Carbajal. This legislation will keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others by implementing a nationwide extreme risk law and encouraging states to enact their own extreme risk laws.

To Members of Congress, I say: your political survival is insignificant compared to the personal survival of our children and their families. It is sickening that, in America, more children die from gun violence than any other cause. From the White House to the Capitol to San Francisco City Hall, let all of us do everything we can for the survival of our children. We will not rest until the job is done.

Celebrating Pride Month
For more than half a century, Pride Month has been a powerful expression of resilience, love and solidarity. Rooted in the courage of all those who rose up against police violence at the Stonewall Inn in New York and Compton's Cafeteria in the Tenderloin, Pride is an opportunity for Americans to celebrate the beauty of our nation's LGBTQ community, speak out against hateful bigotry and advance the fight for justice and equality.

As right-wing forces attempt to silence LGBTQ voices and threaten to wind back hard-won progress, the struggle against hate remains as urgent as ever. Across the country, extremist Republicans are waging an all-out assault on the safety and well-being of the LGBTQ community – from targeting trans children in Texas to bullying LGBTQ students in Florida. And on our nation's highest court, a Republican-appointed majority is poised to severely weaken the right to privacy, which poses a direct threat to marriage equality.

Democrats have long been proud to march and fight alongside tireless LGBTQ advocates, whether combating the HIV/AIDS crisis, repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or enacting landmark hate crime legislation. Strengthened by a record number of LGBTQ Members, the Democratic House is continuing that fight for justice today. The House-passed Equality Act will extend the protections of the Civil Rights Act to LGBTQ Americans, barring discrimination in housing, education, employment and more. And under the leadership of President Biden, the Administration is reaffirming the fundamental dignity of every person – including by ending the shameful ban on transgender Servicemembers, confronting anti-LGBTQ human rights violations around the world and extending Title IX protections to LGBTQ students here at home.

Following his first historic campaign for Supervisor, San Francisco's iconic Harvey Milk told his supporters: "I have tasted freedom. I will not give up that which I have tasted." The promise of our Democracy will only be realized when every American can enjoy the freedom to reach their fulfillment, without fear of violence or persecution. As we celebrate 53 years of Pride, let us renew our resolve to fight alongside our LGBTQ friends, neighbors and loved ones until we finally achieve full equality for all.

A Local Roundtable on Ukraine
Today, the world marks 100 days since Putin launched his unprovoked, premeditated and inhumane war against Ukraine. That is why, yesterday, I joined local Ukrainian community leaders and Dmyrro Kushnerek, Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco, to report on Congressional action to support Ukraine's defense of Democracy and hear from these leaders on the issues affecting the Ukrainian community.

From the start, Congress and the Biden Administration have stood with Ukraine:

• Securing a $13.6 billion assistance package, followed by $40 billion in additional military, economic and humanitarian aid.
• Banning the import of Russian oil and gas: the engine of Putin's war machine.
• Reviving "Lend-Lease" to send supplies to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
• Passing "Seize and Freeze" to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs and fund Ukraine's post-war recovery.
• Enacting multiple bills to isolate and devastate Russia's economy and to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes.
• Launching the Administration's "Uniting for Ukraine" initiative to welcome Ukrainian refugees to America.

It was my great privilege to meet with San Francisco's Ukrainian community, whose insights and expertise are critical to the Congress' continued work to bring help and hope to Ukraine. America remains committed to standing with the brave Ukrainian people until victory is won. Slava Ukraini!

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