Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget, issued this statement following today’s mass shooting in Jersey City, New Jersey:

Once more, a mass shooting has ravaged a community. Earlier today, in Jersey City, New Jersey, a gunman killed six individuals, including a police officer. Once more, we are left asking questions about this carnage. We are also left to wonder, in the richest and most powerful country in the history of the world, how we can be so numb to gun violence. We are not inherently more violent. We just have the ready access to firearms, and one political party in our nation appears beholden to special interests to try to stop the carnage. There are any number of sensible pieces of legislation we can pass in order prevent mass gun violence, starting with H.R. 8, which was passed over 200 days ago, which prescribes universal background checks for all gun purchases, but which sits in the Senate, confronting inaction. Or, we can pass any of the sensible pieces of gun violence prevention legislation I have introduced, like ammo control, gun registries and safe storage.

The first is H.R. 4080, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act. This bill regulates the proper storage of firearms and ammunition for residences with a minor or a person that is ineligible to own a firearm. The second bill introduced in this trio of gun safety bills is H.R. 4081, the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act. This bill creates a process for the license and registration of firearms and the possession of certain ammunition. For the registry, each person will have to transmit the make, model, and serial number of the firearm, along with the identity of the owner, the date the firearm was acquired, and where the firearm will be stored. Finally, the third bill introduced in this trio of gun safety bill is H.R. 4082, the Santa Fe High School Victims Act. This bill prohibits the purchase or sale of a firearm or ammunition unless it is through a federally licensed dealer that meets additional requirements.

But, in our nation, the problem is not the lack of imagination when considering ideas for gun safety legislation. The problem is lack of political will. While the Congress does nothing, people are dying. We simply must do something to stem the tide of gun violence. Enough is enough.