Pelosi Joins 129 House Democrats in Calling on Speaker Johnson to Address Gun Violence
Washington, D.C. — In the wake of the deadly school shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined 129 House Democrats in signing a letter calling on Speaker Johnson to listen to the prayers of millions of Americans and take action to end gun violence.
“Scripture shows examples of leaders like Moses and David standing up to evil to protect their people. Their prayers were not passive but supported them to action. Will this generation of Republican leaders pray not only for the victims, but also for the strength to end gun violence?” wrote the lawmakers.
“Will this generation of Republican leaders look their children and grandchildren in the eyes knowing that they worked to protect them from the leading cause of death for kids and teens?
“Republicans are not bystanders in the gun violence epidemic. You control the White House, House and Senate. The President ended the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, made guns that fire like a fully automatic machinegun legal, and diverted law enforcement dedicated to fighting gun violence to other roles. The House and Senate are off to a terrible start spending $1.7 billion to make silencers, sawed off shotguns and short barreled rifles less expensive and proposing devastating cuts to the law enforcement agency that fights gun violence,” they continued.
“Your actions and inactions will be judged for eternity both by all those who follow you in public office and by what Lincoln called ‘a just God.’ Join us in the essential cause of protecting American children from the brutal and unnecessary horrors of any more gun violence,” the lawmakers concluded.
In Speaker Johnson’s short tenure as Speaker of the House, gun violence has killed more than 74,640 people and injured another 55,601 people. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children, teenagers and law enforcement.
For decades, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to pass bipartisan bills to help prevent gun violence:
- In 1934, Congress passed the National Firearms Act to regulate machineguns, silencers, sawed off shotguns and short barreled rifles because they were the weapons of choice for gangsters.
- In 1993, Congress passed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act which required background checks.
- In 1994, Congress passed the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, which temporarily restricted access to certain classes of extraordinarily dangerous firearms and large capacity magazines.
- In 2022, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which expanded background checks for 18–20-year-olds, cracked down on gun traffickers, closed a loophole exploited by domestic abusers, funded school mental health and encouraged the expansion of state red flag laws.
These bills saved lives, but more action is needed.
This Congress, Members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force have introduced legislation to expand background checks, keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others, and regulate weapons that are being used by criminals to harm our communities. Congressional Republicans can and should help pass this legislation.
Read the full text of the letter here.