Washington, DC – In response to President Obama’s announcement of his priorities to reduce gun violence, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) released the following statement urging Congress to take up the necessary legislation.

“I agree with President Obama that we cannot wait for another tragedy to enact common sense, reasonable gun control measures, especially on weapons of war that have no legitimate civilian use.  Congress should act swiftly on requiring universal background checks for firearms buyers. We must also take steps to strengthen our mental health system and reduce the glorification of violence in our culture. And we absolutely should move to ban assault weapons and prohibit high-capacity ammunition clips. I have long been a supporter of the assault weapons ban and I am proud to join Senator Feinstein in her effort to reinstate and strengthen the 1994 law. I will be an original co-sponsor of the Assault Weapons Regulatory Act of 2013, which she plans to introduce next week. Despite lobbying efforts to the contrary, we can protect our children while still protecting the Constitutional rights of legitimate hunters and existing gun owners.

“America has mourned far too many innocent victims of gun violence. Each heartbreaking event is shocking in its own right but also tears us apart wondering what could have been done to prevent it from happening. The senseless death of 20 students and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School needs to be a wakeup call for Congress.  More than 900 Americans have died from gun violence since that day. The safety of our children cannot be put at risk because of partisan gridlock. We must seize this moment, set our political fears aside, and act responsibly.”

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