The Denver Democrats are sickened by the gun violence epidemic that continues to plague the country, including the horrifying attack on elementary school children in Uvalde, Texas, the massacre of predominantly Black shoppers at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting in Laguna Woods, California. We’re less than halfway through 2022 and we’ve already seen nearly 200 mass shootings in the U.S., including 27 school shootings. We cannot accept this as a normal part of American life.
When 20 children and six adults were brutally murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, there was a broad understanding that gun violence needed to be addressed with clear action. However, here we are, almost 10 years later, and we’ve seen no meaningful legislation that could stem this onslaught of senseless killings. This is despite the fact that more than 97% of Americans, including gun owners, support universal background checks.
How could this be? It’s because Republican legislators would rather line their pockets with the millions of dollars from lobbyists and special interest groups like the NRA. They preach pro-life when it comes to controlling women’s bodies, but once a child is out of the womb, all bets are off. Their hypocrisy and lack of empathy is stunning.
No amount of murdered children and community members will change Republicans’ minds. They’ll continue to offer platitudes like thoughts and prayers, but will never take the steps needed to stop the violence – steps proven to work by mountains of data. They’ll pivot to their same tired argument about the Second Amendment and use their favorite fear-based tactics to spread lies that Democrats are trying to take away their guns and freedom.
But all is not lost. We know that when we have a strong, filibuster-proof Democratic majority, we can make change happen – change rooted in making our country and state a better place, for everyone. However, that requires everyone to vote. Republicans care about money and power, and until we vote them out, we’ll continue to live with the fear that when we send our children off to school, it could be the last time we see them.
Enough already! If you’re as angry and fed up as we are, VOTE. And if you want to take more action, you can volunteer with and/or financially support organizations like your Denver Democrats as we work to educate and mobilize voters for the upcoming election. You can donate here, and access volunteer opportunities here.
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