Wyden, Merkley call for action to stop gun violence
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., called on Congress Thursday to take action to stop gun violence in remarks on the steps of the U.S. Capitol week after a mass shooting in Roseburg claimed nine lives and injured nine others.
“The victims and their families deserve better than a Congress that shrugs its shoulders and waits for the next tragedy. They deserve action,” Wyden said. “Today, we call on Americans from Roseburg to Blacksburg to speak with one voice: End the complacency. It’s time to take action against gun violence.”
“There is no single measure that will eliminate all violence or evil, but by putting the common-sense ideas we laid out today into action, we can make a real difference,” Merkley said. “The American people must make their voices heard and let leaders in Congress know that inaction is no longer an option.”
Close Background Check Loopholes: Wyden and Merkley joined Senate Democrats in a call for ending the loopholes that allow people to purchase guns without having first passed a background check.
Make Background Checks Better: Even for gun sales that are subject to a background check, there are still too many holes in the background check database. Wyden and Merkley called for making sure that all domestic abusers are prohibited from purchasing guns, that states submit all prohibitive records to the federal database, and that people are not allowed to buy guns without a completed background check.
Shut Down the Illegal Pipeline of Guns: Wyden and Merkley joined Senate Democrats in calling for making “straw purchasing” — in which one person buys a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to have one — and gun trafficking federal crimes, to give law enforcement the tools it needs to stop the flood of illegal weapons across state lines.
The National Rifle Association says in a statement that the Oregon gunman passed a background check. The NRA says the underlying issue is a broken mental health system, not guns.
