“How Many Innocent Americans Need to Die in Mass Shootings Like This Before We're Willing to Simply Have These Discussions?”
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) joined Congressman Scott Taylor (R-VA) for a kitchen table debate about gun reform with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s This Week. Moulton stressed the need for common sense measures that would address the public health crisis plaguing America - gun violence. Moulton is currently leading the only bipartisan effort to ban the manufacture, sale, and use of “bump stocks.”
Key Excerpts:
“This is an American epidemic. It's really a public health crisis. I've seen the effects of gun violence first-hand in Iraq. And I know that it has no place at our schools, on our streets, at our concerts.
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“As Justice Scalia said, you can have restrictions under the Second Amendment, as we do with any of the amendments in the United States Constitution.
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“I'm just trying to do something as a leader, as a representative in Congress of communities that want these reforms. Nine out of ten Americans want background checks on guns.
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“I respect the fact that [Congressman Taylor is] willing to have the conversation and this is the kind of conversation we should be having. Democrats and Republicans across the aisle doing our job as a representatives of Congress, representing the people in America. And when the American people are saying we need to do something about these mass shootings, we should be having conversations like this. And I'm actually working on a bipartisan bill that will eliminate this bump stock exception and will try to address the other ways you can get around this law.
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“I don't know how many innocent Americans need to die in mass shootings like this before we're willing to simply have these discussions. I'm sitting down with Republicans in the House of Representatives working on legislation because of this mass shooting. The sad thing is that if we don't get anything done this time, we all know there will be another one. And some day, we'll have the courage to do something that's respectful of the Second Amendment that respects the fact that we're a society that people like to hunt and people have the right to own guns, but not weapons of war.
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“I hope that this conversation will continue. It took some courage for Scott to show up here, especially as a Republican because a lot of Republicans are not willing to have this conversation, and I'm willing to sit down as a Democrat and be reasonable. But these are the conversations that we should be having in Congress to protect the American people. Let's not say that just because people are emotional -- I mean, my gosh, I'm kind of emotional. I mean, to see that many innocent Americans killed senselessly? Of course that's emotional. But we've got to take action. We've got to do something.”
To learn more about Congressman Seth Moulton visit https://moulton.house.gov or connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Medium.
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