For Release: Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Washington, DC – As the House Judiciary Committee today holds its first hearing on gun violence prevention in eight years, Violence Policy Center (VPC) Legislative Director Kristen Rand issued the following statement:
“For far too long, gun violence has been ignored by the House Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives committee with primary jurisdiction over gun-related issues. Today, the Committee will finally hear from survivors of gun violence and policy experts on ways to move forward to grapple with what is now nothing less than a public health emergency. In 2017, almost 40,000 Americans lost their lives to gun violence and, until today, Congress has done virtually nothing to stem this violence. We are hopeful that this will be only the first step forward in formulating and implementing real change that will reduce the toll that gun violence exacts every day on individuals, families, communities, and the nation as a whole.”
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
