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
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.
Matthew McConaughey’s emotional White House briefing speech in full
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Silicon Valley Democrat suggests social media companies bear responsibility in Uvalde shooting
Silicon Valley progressive Democrat Ro Khanna of California suggested that social media companies might be partly responsible for not intervening when the Uvalde shooter posted images of his rifles and sent messages regarding violent acts.
“It is crazy to me that you can have people under 18 talking about shootings and mass shootings, and these companies are taking no action,” he said.
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Biden says primary results shows it’s time to act on crime and gun violence
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Tuesday night’s election results show that it’s time to act on crime and gun violence.
Speaking to the press before boarding Air Force One to head to California, where San Francisco’s district attorney was recalled and a former Republican came ahead of a more progressive Democrat in Los Angeles’ mayor’s race, which will be decided in a runoff in November.
“The voters sent a clear message last night,” Mr Biden said. “Both parties have to step up and do something about crime as well as gun violence.”
“The first major bill we passed ... we gave the states and localities billions of dollars, billions of dollars and then encouraged them to use it to hire police officers and reform the police department,” he added. “Very few have done it.”
Mr Biden noted that he sent a $300m request to Congress for additional officers.
“It’s time they move. It’s time states and the localities spend the money they have to deal with crime, as well as retrain police officers, as well as provide for more community policing,” he said.
AOC unleashes on gun manufacturers for taking ‘blood money’ at House hearing
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the profits of America’s firearms manufacturers the “one thing more important to lobbyists and the gun industry than children and houses of faith” in searing comments made during Wednesday’s hearing of the House Oversight Committee.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez asked several questions of witnesses including Rebecca Pringle, president of the National Education Assocation, before asserting that major manufacturers of guns in America were making “blood money” off of the deaths of school children and other victims of gun violence.
Read more:
AOC unleashes on gun manufacturers for taking ‘blood money’ at House hearing
‘Schools are not safe anymore’: Father of student injured in Uvalde shooting calls for change
PHOTOS: House Representatives argue over gun control at committee hearing
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