FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Dear Fourth District Constituent,

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day – a day meant to celebrate love. But I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. Heartbroken for every family who has lost a loved one to gun violence. Heartbroken for the trauma inflicted on young people just trying to live their lives and build their futures. And heartbroken for each one of us as Americans, as we share in grief and helplessness while these acts of violence persist in our nation.

We mourn the shooting earlier this week at Michigan State University; two mass shootings within three days in California last month; five years since 17 lives were taken in Parkland; more than 11 years since the Sandy Hook massacre of children; nearly 24 years since Columbine. And so many in between. This is a defining crisis of the 21st century that we are failing to address.

Instead of voting on any of the many bills Democrats have proposed that could help prevent these unnecessary deaths, some Republican Members of Congress are now wearing assault weapon pins onto the House floor, ignoring the pain and suffering of hundreds of thousands of Americans impacted by the scourge of gun violence.

As the Republican majority in the House focuses on political stunts, easy access to assault weapons undermines the values – of freedom and opportunity – Republicans claim to hold dear. But if Congress fails to address these threats, we as Americans are not free from fear; we are not free from the threat of violence. We are not free.

Last Congress, Democrats in the House took action and passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

Ultimately, we were able to get the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed into law – huge progress given it was the first set of gun safety bills enacted in 30 years. This law ensures there are penalties for straw purchasing, invests in children and family mental health services, and increases funding for early identification and intervention programs and school safety.

But there is much, much more to be done.

I’ve signed on to cosponsor legislation that would:

• Reduce easy access to guns and ammunition (Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act)
• Address the mental health crisis (Bipartisan Safer Communities Act)
• Enact red flag laws (Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act)
• Expand background checks for gun purchases (Bipartisan Background Checks Act)
• Improve safe storage such as gun locks (Ethan’s Law)
• Address increasingly lethal weapons of mass destruction like ghost guns and high-capacity magazines (Keep Americans Safe Act, Assault Weapons Ban Act)

We must work on all of these issues, listen to victims and advocates, and work together on new strategies both locally and nationally to keep people safe.

Mass shootings have become all too frequent, but we cannot accept them as commonplace. To reflect this, I’m changing the approach I use to respond to these preventable tragedies. I will keep acknowledging these acts of violence when they happen, and extend my condolences to victims and their families – but know that each one is a call to action. We cannot let our grief become complacency. We cannot let our thoughts and prayers become an excuse for inaction. 

I ask you to join me in demanding that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle do the right thing and find the courage necessary to act.

Finding Hope Amid Heartbreak

Something that gives me hope amid this heartbreak is the community organizations and leaders working to break the cycle of violence and trauma and providing services where and when people need it most.

One of those people is Tony Sanneh, President and CEO of The Sanneh Foundation based in Saint Paul. I had the honor of welcoming Tony as my guest for President Biden’s State of the Union Address last week. The Sanneh Foundation is doing transformative work through its Youth Workforce Development Project, and I am grateful we secured $1 million in federal funds that will go directly toward providing good job opportunities for young people in our community.

Before President Biden’s address, Tony said he hoped the president would talk about working for all Americans—that when you invest in people and the communities they live in, you invest in our entire nation. I think that’s spot on, and I’m inspired by The Sanneh Foundation’s work to achieve a brighter future, one young person at a time. Read more here.

This Week in “Extreme GOP”

Last week, the Republican House majority continued to spend more time on political stunts and do-nothing bills than on solving problems for the American people. I voted no on their resolution revoking vaccine requirements for international travelers because those decisions should be made by public health professionals, not Congress.

I also voted no on two resolutions that would undo Washington D.C. local government legislation. If we are voting on anything at all related to D.C., it should be to grant its 700,000 residents statehood and full representation – not meddle in their local politics.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with your policy opinion or if you need help with a federal agency. Thank you for being an informed and engaged constituent.

Sincerely,

Betty McCollum
Member of Congress