Norton to Host Roundtable with Chief Lanier and D.C. Victims of Gun Violence to Highlight Need for Congress to Pass Universal Background Checks Legislation, Wednesday
Norton Roundtable Part of House Democrats’ National Day of Action
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On the one-week anniversary of the historic Democratic sit-in on the House floor, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will be joined by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Cathy Lanier and District of Columbia families and friends of victims of gun violence at a roundtable on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 5:00 p.m., at Martin Luther King Memorial Library (901 G St. NW). Norton said that although D.C. has the strongest gun safety laws in the nation, the city still faces an influx of guns brought in illegally from neighboring states with weak gun laws. Norton participated in the Democratic sit-in on the House floor, which focused on several bipartisan gun safety laws, including national legislation for universal background checks, which would close loopholes such as the “gun show loophole” by requiring background checks on all private sales.
“The failure of Congress to address huge loopholes in our national gun laws is having a profoundly harmful impact on District of Columbia residents and our law enforcement,” Norton said. “Every day, guns, including high-powered assault rifles, are brought illegally into D.C. from neighboring states with lax gun laws, despite the best efforts of the D.C. Council in passing strong gun laws and our D.C. police in enforcing them. At this roundtable, we will hear not only from our police chief, but we also will hear the real stories of those whose lives have forever been damaged by gun violence. Last week, Democrats sat on the House floor. This week, D.C. is standing up together to get the national gun safety legislation our city needs.”
Norton is hosting her roundtable as part of House Democrats’ National Day of Action for Gun Violence Prevention, during which Democrats will host events in districts across the country demanding a vote on bipartisan, common-sense gun legislation.