Gun violence hearing - latest: Republican claims Democrats using 11-year-old Uvalde victim for political gain

House Oversight Committee holds hearing to hear stories of gun violence’s impact on families

Related video: Buffalo police chief says slain officer killed in mass shooting ‘was the good guy with a gun’

The House Oversight Committee met on Wednesday for its own response to the twin massacres in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Tuesday regarding the rise of domestic terrorism.

Family members of the victims of the two shootings arrived on Capitol Hill for the first time since the two tragedies unfolded as a bipartisan group in the Senate met to discuss a path forward on firearms and school security legislation.

Lawmakers are debating a number of potential responses to the two deadly shootings, which both involved AR-15-style rifles wielded by suspects under the age of 21. The suspect in Buffalo, unlike in Uvalde, is thought to have had a clear racist motive for his attack.

But any path to legislation reaching Joe Biden’s desk must pass through the evenly-divided Senate, where it will need the votes of at least ten Republicans to pass.

On Tuesday, actor Matthew McConnaughey gave an impassioned speech on guns to the White House press.

Key Points

• McConaughey denies political ambitions
• Pro-gun groups warn followers to be ready for ‘battle’ at Capitol
• Uvalde pediatrician says he'll 'never forget' cries of families seeking news about their children
• Buffalo police chief debunks Republican argument saying slain officer was the ‘good guy with a gun’
• ‘America is inherently violent,’ mother of injured grocery store worker says

[8 June 2022 08:26 · John Bowden]

ICYMI: Matthew McConaughey’s emotional White House briefing speech in full

Matthew McConaughey’s surprise appearance at Tuesday’s White House briefing was questioned as potential “grandstanding” by one reporter in attendance, but to many it was clear that the Uvalde native was speaking from the heart about a horrific tragedy in his hometown.

At one point, he came close to tears and pounded on the lectern while describing the victims of the shooting, most of whom were elementary school students.

Read his speech in full:

[8 June 2022 09:00 · Sravasti Dasgupta]

11-year-old Uvalde survivor to testify to Congress

11-year-old Miah Cerillo who survived the Uvalde shooting by smearing a deceased classmate’s blood over her body and playing dead will testify before Congress on Wednesday.

She will join those impacted by the Buffalo shooting to speak before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for a hearing titled “The Urgent Need to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic”.

Miah was one of a group of 4th graders trapped for about an hour in a classroom with Uvalde gunman Salvador Ramos.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus has more:

[8 June 2022 09:26 · John Bowden]

Schumer reiterates vow to hold vote on gun legislation

As the Senate Judiciary Committee met on Tuesday for a public hearing on the rise of violent domestic extremism and calls continue for action to address mass shootings in schools and other locations, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated that he would bring votes on bills to restrict firearm ownership to the Senate floor.

Most bills are likely to be doomed from the start, due to strong resistance from GOP lawmakers to gun control measures, many of which they wrongly characterise as attempts to confiscate guns.

“In America, we've seen over 250 mass shootings already this year—this is an epidemic. Senate Democrats are doing everything we can to take action and help break the cycle of gun violence. We WILL vote on gun safety legislation,” Mr Schumer declared on Tuesday in a tweet.

[8 June 2022 10:24 · John Bowden]

Homeland Security issues new alert warning US public gatherings could be targets of violence

Following attacks at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the Department of Homeland Security is now issuing a warning that Americans should be wary of attempts by attackers to exploit large, crowded events in the months ahead.

A bulletin from the agency on Tuesday warned that the United States remains in a heightened threat environment, citing “several recent attacks” that underscore the threat.

“In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets,” the bulletin reads.

Find out more in The Independent from Eric Garcia:

[8 June 2022 11:20 · John Bowden]

Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters blames ‘Black people’ for gun violence

A racist remark made by Arizona’s GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters is drawing criticism after it was discovered by a reporter for The Daily Beast and reported on Monday.

The remark was made by Mr Masters during an interview last month, when he was asked about gun violence in America and laid the blame squarely on inner-city gangs.

“It’s … people in Chicago, St. Louis shooting each other. Very often, you know, Black people, frankly,” he said, adding that he believes “the Democrats don’t want to do anything about that”, he insisted.

Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:

[8 June 2022 12:24 · John Bowden]

Pete Buttigieg calls out Ted Cruz’s ‘insanity’ over door solution for mass shootings

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday derided suggestions from Republicans including Ted Cruz to limit school buildings to one door in response to a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, at an elementary school.

Mr Cruz has faced criticism for complaining about “all these unlocked back doors” on Fox News in the hours after the shooting in his home state.

“The idea that us being the only developed country where this happens routinely — especially in terms of the mass shootings — is somehow a result of the design of the doorways on our school buildings is the definition of insanity, if not the definition of denial,” Mr Buttigieg contended on ABC’s This Week.

Read more from The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander:

[8 June 2022 13:20 · John Bowden]

My daughter was killed by a shooter. None of us want Republicans’ thoughts and prayers

Ever since his daughter was murdered during a TV news live shot in 2015, Andy Parker has campaigned for change in America’s gun laws.

Now, Mr Parker is warning that the twin tragedies of Uvalde and Buffalo represent a last chance for America to take the issue of mass shootings seriously, writing in The Independent: “If now isn’t a time for a call to action, there never will be one.”

“Even in the face of seemingly non-stop mass shootings — the latest in Tulsa this morning, at a hospital campus — so many members of the GOP turn a blind eye and maintain that any reasonable gun legislation is tantamount to ‘taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves’. That is a completely ridiculous assertion, and those who say it need to be voted out of office before it’s too late,” he argues.

Read more from Mr Parker in our Voices section:

[8 June 2022 14:05 · John Bowden]

ICYMI: Lawmakers promise gripping tales of gun violence

Wednesday is set to be the day that the House Oversight Committee responds to the twin shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. Lawmakers on the highly partisan committee are set to listen to witnesses recount their personal connections to the horrific trend that has gripped American life for decades.

“After 19 innocent children and two teachers lost their lives in Texas just ten days after the mass shooting in my home state of New York, I’m turning my anger into action. Our hearing will examine the terrible impact of gun violence and the urgent need to rein in the weapons of war used to perpetrate these crimes,” said the committee’s chair, Carolyn Maloney.

“It is my hope that all my colleagues will listen with an open heart as gun violence survivors and loved ones recount one of the darkest days of their lives. This hearing is ultimately about saving lives, and I hope it will galvanize my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to do just that,” she added in a statement.

[8 June 2022 15:42 · John Bowden]

ICYMI: McConaughey delivers emotional plea

Actor Matthew McConaughey drew praise as well as some criticism on the right after he made a surprise appearance at Tuesday’s White House press briefing.

At the briefing, he grew emotional as he shared the stories of victims of the mass shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

“We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR 15 rifle to 21 We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them,” he said. “These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations”.

Read more from John Bowden in The Independent:

[8 June 2022 16:05 · John Bowden]

Katie Porter discusses Laguna shooting

California congresswoman Katie Porter discussed the differences that high-capacity magazines can make during her opening remarks at Wednesday’s hearing.

Ms Porter noted how in a recent shooting in Laguna, Californa, a suspect using a handgun was forced to reload.

“That difference gave a hero, Dr John Chang, a chance to stop the carnage. He sacrificed his life to stop the shooter,” she said.

Democrats including Joe Biden are calling for AR-15’s and other military-style assault weapons to be banned, or at the very least restricted to Americans 21 or over.