Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 3 million members of the National Education Association, who teach and support nearly 50 million students across America, thank you for the opportunity to submit comments for the hearing, “Examining Uvalde: The Search for Bipartisan Solutions to Gun Violence.”
On Wednesday, our nation marked 10 years since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of 20 first graders and six educators. Today, gun violence continues to hold us hostage to fear. The massacre at Robb Elementary School broke all of our hearts once again, bringing us together in shared grief, anger, and frustration. An assault weapon was used at Sandy Hook, in Uvalde, and in massacres across our country, including the Club Q shooting last month in Colorado Springs targeting LGBTQI+ individuals. These weapons have only one purpose: to kill as many individuals as possible, as quickly as possible. This slaughter takes a tremendous toll on America, especially our children, and we must end it.
The Assault Weapons Ban would take a number of steps to deal with our crisis, including stopping the sale, manufacture, transfer, and importation of the most commonly owned military-style assault weapons. Passing the legislation would be an important step in addressing the root of the problem: There are too many military-style weapons on America’s streets, in communities of all descriptions. Until we face this fact, America’s cycle of gun violence, senseless massacres, and bottomless grief will continue.
Families should be able to go about their daily lives without worrying that a trip to a restaurant or a shopping mall or park or concert venue or Fourth of July parade could be their last outing together. Children should come to school to learn and explore new ideas, not to endure active shooter drills. Educators should be free to focus on nurturing their students and preparing them for limitless futures, not contemplating laying down their lives to protect young people from a mass murderer.
We know what gives us a sense of well-being: living in communities where we feel secure and can trust that our children will be safe where they learn and play. As you consider solutions to gun violence, we urge you to support bipartisan measures including the Assault Weapons Ban.
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
