WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the floor about the Senate’s failure last night to advance legislation regarding background checks and to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists.
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“Our first obligation: provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure domestic tranquility in the United States. If that is our obligation, there is much more that needs to be done: keeping America safe from gun violence. Thousands of Americans are shot and killed each year in shootings that could have been prevented. There are steps we can take consistent with our Constitution and with our tradition of supporting hunting, sport shooting, guns for self-defense. We can still take meaningful steps to avoid tragic deaths, and we shouldn't be afraid to do that,” said Durbin.
“I’m not going to quit on this issue, and many of my colleagues will not either. I ask the American people, don't quit and don't get discouraged. Keep speaking out for commonsense reforms as the American Medical Association did last week. When people say to me, ‘What can I do,’ I say, in our democratic form of government, it's very basic. It’s called an election. If this issue of gun safety means something to you, ask that member of Congress or that congressional candidate, that senator or the senatorial candidate, where they stand, and if it's important enough, make your vote follow the answer. Join us and stand together. We can beat back the gun lobby and start saving lives and protecting the innocent across America. We can do this, and we must.”
