NEWARK, NJ - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today welcomed President Obama's bold leadership in proposing comprehensive common sense gun safety measures and vowed to work with his colleagues in the Senate to pass them as soon as possible. Recent polls show overwhelming support among Americans - including NRA members - for strengthening gun safety laws.
"I applaud President Obama's bold leadership in putting forth a package of common sense gun safety measures to help reduce the scourge of gun violence and protect our communities and children," said Senator Menendez. "For too long, members of Congress have turned their backs on measures to prevent gun violence as the NRA turned up the heat to protect gun manufacturers. This time must be different. These actions are the right thing to do to protect our communities and our children and I stand ready to work with my colleagues to immediately move the President's agenda forward."
Senator Menendez has consistently supported common sense legislation to curb gun violence. He is an original cosponsor of legislation to close the "gun show loophole" and require everyone at gun shows to undergo background checks. He is also an original cosponsor of the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2011, which would give authorities the ability to deny firearms to suspected terrorists. He is an original cosponsor of legislation to prohibit large capacity ammunition feeding devices, including those used in the Tucson, Arizona shooting. After meeting with the father of one of the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy, he also cosponsored the Fix Gun Checks Act to improve gun background checks by encouraging states and federal agencies to submit records to the National Instant Criminal System. He also previously sponsored legislation to restore full access to the crime gun trace data for law enforcement.
CLICK HERE to view the President's proposed gun safety reforms.
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