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On the evening of October 4, 2017 at a CNN Town Hall, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had a remarkable exchange with Bob Patterson, whose wife Lisa was slain in the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Addressing Pelosi remotely from his home just three days after the tragedy, a clearly shaken (and courageous) Patterson told her he supported an Assault Weapons Ban and regulations on the bulk purchase of ammunition:
I am not opposed to having a gun for protection. My wife and I had a gun for that reason. We talked about guns and both felt that there is no reason to own the type of guns and the amount of ammunition that the shooter had … How many more lives have to be taken before something is done? Congresswoman Pelosi, as a leader on Capitol Hill, what are you going to do to stop this?
Minority Leader Pelosi’s answer was deeply disappointing. She would only promise to call for the formation of a select committee to study the problem of gun violence and a vote on the “Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act,” a deeply flawed background checks bill introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Mike Thompson (CA). The act, H.R. 1217, would require background checks to be conducted on private sales of firearms at gun shows and online, but it includes numerous gifts for the gun lobby. These pro-gun provisions would deregulate interstate sales of handguns, shorten the amount of time that the FBI has to process a background check, allow individuals to transport assault rifles through states that ban them, and extend unprecedented legal protections to online gun sellers.
We have a real opportunity in this moment to connect with gun owners who understand there is no need for military-style armaments in America’s neighborhoods. Bob Patterson is not the only one. But Democrats must lead us in Congress.
Please contact House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi through one of the channels below and give her the following message:
At your CNN Town Hall, Las Vegas survivor Bob Patterson told you that while he owns guns, he and his slain wife Lisa agreed that “there is no reason” for Americans to own assault weapons, or to purchase ammunition in bulk. Your response, promising Patterson only to call for a vote on a deeply flawed background checks bill (loaded with goodies for the gun lobby) and a select committee to study the problem, was deeply disappointing. We have a historic opportunity right now to connect with gun owners and other Americans who understand that military-style armaments have no place in our neighborhoods. After the horror of Las Vegas, what you and the House Democrats are asking for is NOT ENOUGH. Please call for a vote on Rep. David Cicilline’s FULL Assault Weapons Ban bill immediately. As an American citizen, I have a right to know where my Representative stands on this specific issue before the 2018 mid-term elections.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Phone: (202) 225-4965 or (202) 225-0100 (straight to voicemail)
Email: AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov or https://pelosi.house.gov/contact-me
FB: https://www.facebook.com/NancyPelosi/videos/10156038080799384/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi
Once you have contacted House Minority Leader Pelosi, click the orange banner below to report taking action!