House Republicans Continue to Avoid Discussions on Gun Safety; Blame Mass Shootings and Gun Violence on Video Games and Welfare State

RICHMOND, Va. – House Democratic Leader David J. Toscano today issued the following statement expressing disappointment with remarks made by House Republican leadership on the gun violence crisis:
 
“The remarks made today by House Republicans, who continue to be unwilling to discuss reasonable gun safety initiatives, were deeply disappointing. Delegate Nick Freitas continued the House Republican series of statements that seek to deflect a true debate on gun safety measures. Yesterday, video games were deemed the source of the problem; today, it was abortion, broken families, and the welfare state. Delegate Freitas cited cherry-picked statistics to paint a picture suggesting that nothing can or should be done, with the possible exception of arming teachers in schools. Using straw man arguments about total gun confiscation and gutting the Second Amendment, Delegate Freitas used the House floor to discuss who was responsible for the Civil War and Massive Resistance instead of proposing anything to end gun violence. Democrats respect Second Amendment rights, but we also know that many Republicans in this country want reasonable gun safety reforms.
 
“The Republican Majority Leader today even suggested the Democratic Caucus does not want to hold criminals accountable for the crimes they commit, an unfortunate statement made in the heat of debate and another vehicle that stops the conversation on ending gun violence. I hope we can recommit ourselves to the principles of civil discourse and make meaningful strides to attack one of most critical problems facing our society today.
 
“For the past week, we’ve been calling on House Republicans to revive key pieces of gun safety legislation that they killed this session, including bills to ensure universal background checks, ban bump stocks, and keep guns out of the hands of those who present a threat to themselves or others. We again renew that call today and hope House Republicans come to the table to finally take on meaningful gun reforms.”