This Time is Different: U.S. Senate Announces Gun Reform Package One Day After Hundreds of Thousands Marched to End Gun Violence

March For Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg: “Thank you for finding common ground that saves lives.”

March For Our Lives will continue to mobilize support to ensure this bill is passed into law

Washington, D.C. – Today the March For Our Lives issued the following statement on the just-announced bipartisan Senate proposal on gun safety legislation. The negotiations, led by Senator Chris Murphy, revealed a package that includes measures March For Our Lives has demanded for years, like closing the boyfriend loophole, which prevents perpetrators of domestic violence from purchasing guns. It will also dedicate $500 million to encourage states to enact and enforce red flag laws, and it will require background checks for gun sales to people under 21. The agreement comes just hours after March For Our Lives organized over 450 events around the world to demand action on gun violence, including an estimated 40,000 people in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve said this time is different, and it’s clear it is,” said David Hogg, 22, co-founder of the March For Our Lives. “Thousands of Americans this weekend, including Democrats, Republicans, and gun owners in 450 cities made clear that the Senate must bring this plan to a vote. We cannot wait any longer–lives literally hang in the balance.”

In the week leading up to the June 11th marches, March For Our Lives youth activists and survivors held more than 70 bipartisan meetings on Capitol Hill to lobby for lifesaving legislation to end gun violence. Our message was clear: we won’t continue to live like this. The U.S. Senate can show us that the message was heard by immediately passing this package into law.

Hogg continues: “In a less broken society, we would be able to require background checks every single time someone wants to buy a gun, and we would ban assault rifles outright. But if even one life is saved or one attempted mass shooting is prevented because of these regulations, we believe that it is worth fighting for. We’re grateful to the bipartisan group of Senators that worked on this compromise. Thank you for finding common ground that saves lives. We also want to thank Senator Chris Murphy in particular for his tireless and consistent efforts to reduce gun violence.

“We need to be clear: there is more work to be done to save more lives, including requiring background checks for every single gun purchase nationwide. This bill, the first of its kind in 30 years, should be the beginning and not the end of Congress’ work. We must build upon the life-saving foundation it provides to go further and expand these laws until we bring an end to the epidemic of gun violence.  March For Our Lives will continue mobilizing our supporters nationwide to demand a vote on this bill and more federal legislation to end gun violence.”

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