Hoyer Discusses the Urgent Need for Congressional Action to Address Gun Violence on CNN
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
February 28, 2018
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined CNN’s Newsroom this morning to discuss the urgent need for Congressional action to address gun violence. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video:
“We have 67% of the American people who think we ought to deal with assault weapons, which are the weapons of choice for those who want to kill a lot of people very quickly in public places; whether they be schools, or restaurants, or concert venues… or nightclubs. The American public want action… Ninety-seven percent of Americans, which means the majority of Republicans, Independents, Democrats, all believe that we ought to have background checks that do not have any loopholes, that we know who are purchasing weapons, we find out whether they have mental health problems, criminal problems, whether they're domestic [abusers], whether they're terrorists, whether they can't fly on airplanes because of the danger to the public. The fact of the matter is America wants action, and we ought to have action. The Speaker has said we will take on the tough issues one at a time. We'll have the courage to do that. Well, he's not doing that. He hasn't done it in so many different ways, but certainly on this issue. [Democrats] filed two discharge petitions, one to make sure… everybody has a background check and, two, that you can't get a gun until that background check is finished – not just 72 hours later if the background check is not approved [and] you get the gun anyway. That’s the Roof case in Charleston where the individuals who were killed were in a church. So, I think Americans want action; they expect action; and we ought to take action.”
“We have 67% of the American people who think we ought to deal with assault weapons, which are the weapons of choice for those who want to kill a lot of people very quickly in public places; whether they be schools, or restaurants, or concert venues… or nightclubs. The American public want action… Ninety-seven percent of Americans, which means the majority of Republicans, Independents, Democrats, all believe that we ought to have background checks that do not have any loopholes, that we know who are purchasing weapons, we find out whether they have mental health problems, criminal problems, whether they're domestic [abusers], whether they're terrorists, whether they can't fly on airplanes because of the danger to the public. The fact of the matter is America wants action, and we ought to have action. The Speaker has said we will take on the tough issues one at a time. We'll have the courage to do that. Well, he's not doing that. He hasn't done it in so many different ways, but certainly on this issue. [Democrats] filed two discharge petitions, one to make sure… everybody has a background check and, two, that you can't get a gun until that background check is finished – not just 72 hours later if the background check is not approved [and] you get the gun anyway. That’s the Roof case in Charleston where the individuals who were killed were in a church. So, I think Americans want action; they expect action; and we ought to take action.”