Pelosi Statement After House GOP Blocks Vote to Create Bipartisan Select Committee on Gun Violence

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after House Republicans voted 231 to 189 to block an up-or-down vote on creating a bipartisan Select Committee on Gun Violence, which would be charged with studying and reporting back common sense legislation to address the gun violence epidemic within 60 days:

"The families of the victims of gun violence deserve more than our thoughts and prayers – they deserve real, urgent and long-overdue action to end this crisis. But just two days after the worst mass shooting in American history, House Republicans refused to even begin a bipartisan, common sense process to address the gun violence epidemic.

"This week, Republicans have refused to strengthen life-saving background checks or to walk away from a radical GOP bill opening the floodgates to silencers and armor-piercing bullets. Their refusal to allow a vote to create a bipartisan Select Committee on Gun Violence – a basic first step to study and prevent the daily tragedies of gun violence – makes clear that they have no intention of offering a grieving nation anything more than empty words.

"Members of Congress take a solemn oath to protect the American people. Democrats will never stop fighting to protect American families, and we urge our Republican colleagues to join us to take long overdue action to reduce the horror and heartbreak of gun violence."

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