Last summer, it was a black church in Charleston; last fall, it was a Planned Parenthood in Colorado; and last weekend, it was a gay nightclub in Orlando during Pride month. The deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history killed dozens and wounded more.
In the wake of the Pulse massacre, we mourn the losses, pray for the families of the deceased and injured, pray for the city of Orlando, but we also need to act, bringing policy change to our country. To accept anything less than real, comprehensive change at this point is an insult to the victims of last weekend’s shooting but also to the average 91 Americans who die every single day in this country due to gun violence.
The fact of the matter is that it is far too easy for dangerous people driven by dangerous ideology to get their hands on guns in this country. The shooter who entered the Pulse nightclub did so armed with an assault rifle that he legally purchased in Florida. This never should have happened.
We characterize this event as a hate crime and a terror attack. For me, these qualifications raise questions about how we can protect vulnerable citizens and prevent future attacks. Stronger gun laws designed to address hate crimes and terror attacks could have prevented the Orlando attack.
First, we need to close the so-called “terror gap” by preventing people on the federal no-fly list from being able to purchase weapons. It lends sense to reason that if the federal government deems someone a high enough terror risk to not be able to fly in a plane, they also pose a great enough threat to the safety and security of our communities to not be permitted to own a deadly weapon.
We can also protect citizens by enacting policies that prevent those accused of hate crimes from purchasing weapons.
Let us also remember that the Second Amendment does not grant citizens the inalienable right to own an assault rifle that can fire off three rounds per second. These weapons are deadly and unnecessary; they do far more harm than good and do not belong on our streets or in our homes.
Ultimately, I believe the most effective and important move we can make as a country is to enforce universal background checks. Universal background checks provide transparency to the process and they uphold the Second Amendment.
In this country, citizens have the right to bear arms, but it is a privilege to own a weapon; I believe that privilege can only be earned when the owner can successfully pass a background check.
These measures represent the long-overdue reforms to gun ownership that this country so badly needs. They are responsible and preventative checks that bring a sense of morality and accountability to the process of owning a weapon.
I am truly pleased to see members of the Legislature acting with a sense of urgency with regards to this issue. This week, in response to the attacks, Democratic senators, including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, filibustered for over 14 hours to force votes on common-sense gun reform in the U.S. Senate. That being said, it is also the responsibility of state governments to enact comprehensive reforms, and I am calling on all of my colleagues in the Wisconsin State Legislature to step up and address the epidemic of gun violence at the state level.
In his remarks about the Pulse shooting, President Obama made these profound observations: “This massacre is, therefore, a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.”
Ninety-one people die every day we fail to bring real gun reform to this country. It is time for leadership and time for change. Rights come with responsibilities; it is our responsibility to enact laws that protect lives from gun violence.
I urge you to join me in calling on our government at the state and federal levels to finally address gun violence in a meaningful way. The time is now to end the violence and bring a sense of peace and safety to our nation.
