Menendez, Sherrill Visit Montclair, Demand Common Sense Gun Laws

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair became the frontline of a high-profile push for gun law reform on Wednesday, getting visits from U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as well as a host of other local officials.

Speaking at the Montclair Township Municipal Building, the Democratic Party leaders stood side-by-side with dozens of concerned New Jersey students and advocates, demanding that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell end his “obstruction” and allow the Senate to vote on key, “common sense” firearm legislation.

The call to action came just days after a gunman armed with an AR-15 assault rifle went on a shooting spree in Texas.

• See related article: 8 Killed In West Texas Mass Shooting; Gunman Identified

According to Menendez, the House of Representatives has attempted to advance several federal laws that could help to curb gun violence in the U.S., such as a bill for universal background checks passed in February. But Menendez said that McConnell is blocking that bill from coming to the Senate floor for a vote.

“How many more acts of mass murder will it take before Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell puts the lives of our people ahead of gun-maker profits?” Menendez questioned Wednesday.

“McConnell could hold a vote today,” Menendez charged. “He could put this country on a safer path today. He could stand up to the NRA today.”

Menendez’s demands of McConnell were supported by Rep. Sherrill, who said the House has acted on multiple bills, which have now hit a wall in the Senate.

“I’m sending my kids back to school tomorrow where, along with math and social studies, they will learn how to hide from active shooters,” Sherrill said. “And despite repeated mass shootings and attacks of gun violence across the nation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to take action to keep my kids and children across the nation safe.”

Sherrill said that as a military veteran, she’s “well-versed in weapons of war,” but she’s also with the “overwhelming majority of Americans” who believe something must be done to stop the nation’s gun violence epidemic.

In addition to universal background checks, other Democrat-led gun reform efforts on the horizon include a federal “red flag” law and a law to prohibit people convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from possessing firearms, Menendez said.

They also include Menendez’s Keep Americans Safe Act, S-447, which would prohibit the transfer, importation, or possession of gun magazines able to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

As of Wednesday, the Keep Americans Safe Act has gained the support of 30 co-sponsors in the Senate, as well as advocacy groups such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, March for Our Lives, Team ENOUGH, Change The Ref, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Center for American Progress, Violence Policy Center, and Everytown.

The Keep Americans Safe Act also got a thumbs-up from New Jersey’s junior U.S. Senator, Cory Booker, who has his own plan to combat gun violence if elected president.

• See related article: Cory Booker Releases 'Sweeping Plan' To Combat Gun Violence
• See related article: NRA Calls Sen. Booker's Gun Violence Plan 'Senseless, Slapdash'

Members of Moms Demand Action, one of several advocacy groups at Wednesday’s rally in Montclair, said they were grateful for Menendez’s efforts.

“High-capacity magazines are notorious for making devastating shootings even deadlier by allowing a shooter to fire more rounds without pausing to reload,” Christine McGrath said. “It’s time for Congress to confront the mass shootings and daily gun violence in this country by strengthening our gun laws.”

McGrath’s sense of urgency is shared by the majority of U.S. residents, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released last week, which found 72 percent of voters believe Congress needs to do more to reduce gun violence. That total includes half of Republicans and the overwhelming majorities of Democrats and independents.

Among those joining Menendez and Sherrill’s call to action in Montclair on Wednesday were Asssemblyman Thomas Giblin, Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake, County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Essex County Freeholder President Brendan Gill, Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, as well as members of Moms Demand Action, Everytown, Students Demand Action, Newark Community Street Team and BlueWave.

“New Jersey has been at the forefront with laws that could help curtail senseless gun violence and suicides,” Mayor Jackson said. “Just this past Sunday, the state’s ‘red flag’ law went into effect. Today, Senator Menendez is here to urge the U.S. Senate to pass the Keep Americans Safe Act and to encourage Congress to consider other common sense laws that may help stem the carnage America is witnessing with greater frequency.”

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