Gun Violence Survivors, Youth Activists & President Biden Agree: The Senate Must Prioritize Vote on Assault Weapons Ban Amid Worsening Gun Violence

December 1, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As gun violence continues to surge in our nation, the Time is Now coalition has released the following statement urging Majority Leader Schumer to prioritize holding a vote on the House-passed assault weapons ban before the end of the year. Since the Senate went on recess on Nov. 18, the U.S. has experienced a series of mass shootings around the Thanksgiving holiday and more than 1,026 gun incidents, including 459 deaths and 837 injuries.

“President Biden has publicly called on the Senate to “fight like the devil” to pass the assault weapons ban and we could not agree more. Over 250 survivors wrote a letter to Senator Schumer calling on the Senate to take the Assault weapons Ban up for a vote. Students from across the country even sat in the Majority Leader’s office and urged him to bring the House-passed legislation up for a vote before the end of this Congress.

"With a new House majority that will be narrowly controlled by legislators committed to do the bidding of the gun lobby in January, the lame-duck session is our last chance in the next two years to push the House-passed bipartisan bill across the finish line and onto the President’s desk.

"We are absolutely clear that the time is now. Not only did Americans return a gun violence prevention majority to the Senate this midterm election, but a majority of voters in key states of Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were more likely to support “a Democrat who supports strengthening gun safety laws.”

"Senate champions of gun violence prevention have a responsibility to “fight like the devil” and use every possible opportunity to advance life-saving legislation like the assault weapons ban. Leader Schumer should do everything he can to force a vote on the House-passed assault weapons ban as an amendment to must-pass legislation.”

The Time Is Now Coalition includes Brady, Community Justice Action Fund, Guns Down America, March Fourth, March for Our Lives, and Newtown Action Alliance.