After Mass Shooting in Texas, Giffords Details Policies that Should be Passed Immediately to Save Lives 

Washington, DC — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, calls for Federal action to finally be taken after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas this past Tuesday. 

Giffords Executive Director Peter Ambler:
“Like so many parents of young children in this country, I am sickened by the murder of 19 children and 2 adults in Uvalde. This is not an aberration—mere days before the massacre in Uvalde, 10 Black people were killed and three others injured in Buffalo. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until our elected officials take heed: Enough is enough. Leaders in Washington—Democrats and Republicans—have a moral obligation to come together and curb gun violence in this country. The families in Buffalo and Uvalde and countless communities across the country deserve nothing less. We’re calling for a swift, focused and impactful response: First, the Senate must act on safer gun laws like universal background checks. Second, the Senate must swiftly confirm the president’s nominee for ATF. Third, the Biden administration must roll out a robust executive action agenda. Americans are watching, and they will remember who met this moment with courage and resolve, and who allowed violence to continue because of their own fear and cowardice.”

Enough is enough. Leaders in Washington should:

1. Pass universal background checks in the Senate: The Senate needs to pass gun background checks on all sales. This foundational gun safety policy is broadly popular and underpins many other gun safety laws. Congress should also work to pass legislation related to Extreme Risk Protection Orders to help ensure that every state has a process for keeping guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others, and a law to ban large-capacity magazines, the devices that allow a shooter to keep firing for longer periods of time, increasing casualties. There is so little that Congress has done to prevent gun violence – so there is so much to do. Congress must do something.
2. Confirm an ATF director: The Senate must swiftly confirm Steve Dettelbach as the next director of the ATF so that the agency is better equipped to enforce the gun laws already on the books. This week was Dettelbach’s hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and there is no time to waste in confirming him given the powerful role ATF could have in stopping gun violence. 
3. Keep moving forward with bold executive actions from the Biden Administration: President Biden led the gun violence prevention efforts after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. It’s time for the Administration to update and develop a comprehensive strategy for executive actions relating to gun violence and public safety with a specific focus on closing loopholes in the background checks system, limiting access to firearms, firearms trafficking, and violence intervention. This will require a broad expansion in governing capacity and personnel across the administration and specifically in key agencies like the Department of Justice.

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Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.

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