VIDEO RELEASE: Menendez on Bipartisan Senate Gun Safety Agreement

“It is our duty as lawmakers to take action and find ways to advance legislation that can save lives”

BAYONNE, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a leading voice in Congress on gun safety reform, today welcomed the bipartisan agreement reached in the Senate to address the rising gun violence epidemic. The remarks were delivered ahead of a pre-scheduled press conference on the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act.

“This agreement will break the 30 year logjam in Congress and send a powerful message to the American people that the movement of millions of Americans demanding action is more important than the gun lobby,” said Sen. Menendez. “As I return to Washington today, I will be closely working with Senators Murphy and Booker to shape and draft this legislation and in the upcoming days pass it into law. And beyond this important first step, I will continue fighting for reforms that could prevent mass shootings, like banning high-capacity magazines, requiring universal background checks, and raising the age to buy assault weapons.”

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Sen. Menendez has long been a strong leader on commonsense gun legislation. He’s the author of the Keep Americans Safe Act, legislation that would ban high-capacity magazines that can hold over ten rounds and the Help Empower Americans to Respond Act, legislation that would ban gun silencers or suppressors. Sen. Menendez is also the lead cosponsor of the Federal Firearm Licensing Act, legislation that would require individuals to obtain a firearm license from the Department of Justice (DOJ) before purchasing or receiving a firearm. And in 2020, Sen. Menendez cosponsored the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act – a comprehensive bill to end the epidemic of gun violence in America.

Below are Sen. Menendez’s comments as delivered:

“Before I speak to the issue at hand, I do want to briefly address the bipartisan agreement reached yesterday in the Senate on gun safety reforms.

First, I want to commend the work of the coalition led by my colleague Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut, including my colleague from New Jersey Cory Booker to get us to this point.

For 30 years, inaction and partisanship has dominated and defined Congress’s response to the rising gun violence epidemic. Well, I’m glad to see that it appears we’ve broken the logjam.  As I have said multiple times in the past few weeks, every mass shooting is the result of a policy failure. And thoughts and prayers, while certainly welcome, they don’t change that reality. We need more than thoughts and prayers, we need  for the Senate to take action and to find ways to advance legislation that can save lives.

While details of the legislation are still being worked out, the framework released yesterday is an important step in the right direction. It would incentivize states to establish red flag laws, it would prohibit individuals who have committed domestic violence from obtaining firearms, and create new criminal penalties for people who illegally purchase and traffic guns.

This agreement will break 30 years of logjam in Congress and send a powerful message to the American people that the movement of millions of Americans demanding action is more important than the gun lobby.

And, this agreement has a real chance of advancing in the Senate. Now, is it everything I would’ve hoped for? It certainly is not. But we have an obligation and a responsibility to do what we can to prevent even one more death from gun violence. 

So, as I return to Washington today, I will be closely working with Senators Murphy and Booker to shape and draft this legislation and in the upcoming days pass it into law. And beyond this initial proposal, I will continue fighting for reforms that could prevent mass shootings, like banning high-capacity magazines, requiring universal background checks, and raising the age to buy assault weapons.

There is not a single minute to waste in stopping the carnage of children and ensuring the safety of the American people, and I look forward to returning to the Senate today to start that process.”