Thursday, December 12, 2019

Rep. Payne Jr’s statement on shootings in Jersey City

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. issued the following statement regarding the gun violence on December 11, 2019, in Jersey City, NJ.

“My condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims of the horrific mass shooting in Jersey City yesterday. But I want to thank and commend the brave men and women of the Jersey City Police Department and all the law enforcement agencies who came together to protect the city from further violence.

This is a very personal tragedy for me. Not only are these my constituents, but our Jersey City office is located on the same block where this violence occurred. It is difficult to express my anger and upset when I hear about another senseless tragedy. In the House, we have passed bills to keep guns out of the hands of hateful people, such as the two murderers who targeted the owners and customers of the Jewish delicatessen in Jersey City. House-passed bills have been sent to the Senate, but Republicans have refused to even consider them.

There have been almost 400 mass shootings and 31 mass murders this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It’s disgraceful that the inaction of President Trump and his Senate allies continues to allow attacks on American citizens.

That won’t stop me from working to keep Americans safe from gun violence. I will continue to encourage my House colleagues to support my Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act (H.R. 1279) to help me get guns off the streets. We have to stop this senseless violence and put an end to these preventable deaths.”

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