Opinion: Thoughts and Prayers Mean Nothing Without Action on Guns

By Scott Peters

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by just one man, in just 10 minutes. These numbers are staggering, and they represent children, parents, friends, and neighbors who will never come home. They deserve to be known and mourned, and they and their families need our love and prayers.

Thank you to the brave first responders who ran into danger to help save lives — but up against 10 or more rifles, including semi-automatic weapons, there was only so much they could do.

Congress, however, CAN do something: We can pass commonsense safety measures, like we have in California, to help lessen the chances of this happening again.

Speaker Paul Ryan has refused to let us vote yes or no on something as simple as a bipartisan bill to require universal background checks. On the contrary, Republican leadership had planned this week to let Congress consider a bill that would make it easier to purchase gun silencers without a background check.
We’ve sent letters, signed discharge petitions, honored gun violence victims on the House floor and met with activists at home, and I broadcast the 2016 sit-in to highlight the gun violence epidemic.

We’ve done everything we can. It’s up to my Republican colleagues now to decide if they want to keep putting American lives in danger or if they are now, finally, ready to act. We can’t prevent every random act of violence, but if we could prevent just one, it would be worth it.

Mr. Speaker, I implore you — thoughts and prayers mean nothing unless they are followed by action. Let us debate gun safety and let us vote on common sense reform. And, no, it isn’t too soon to talk about this. It’s always too late.

Rep. Scott Peters serves the 52nd Congressional District, which covers much of central San Diego County including Poway, Coronado and large portions of the City of San Diego.