Brady Statement on Democrats' Ineffective Gun Legislation

This week I made the following statement after voting against the rushed and ineffective gun legislation set forth by Democrats.

To address gun violence, it’s not enough to simply “do something" – we need to do something that works. Many of the deadliest cities in America are located in model gun control states, whose laws neither prevent mass shootings nor stop violent crime in major cities.

As a Congress and as a society, we must address the root causes of this violence while keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable. We also need to stop denying that too many of these shooters have broken families, broken lives, and are isolated, angry and hateful. We must find a way to break through this isolation, identify those who are struggling and intervene before violence occurs.

This won’t be easy. It requires community and elected officials at every level to stop exploiting violence for political means and start genuinely bringing our best ideas to the table as a country. I am committed to working with my colleagues to pass effective legislation that improves school safety, expands access to critical mental health services, ensures our police are fully funded and finds ways to intervene in the dangerous cycle of isolation that seems to drive these shooters.

Unfortunately, this rushed, politically-motivated Democrat bill in the House merely recycles the failed gun control laws that haven’t worked in the past and won’t work in the future. Perhaps the Senate will find common ground on a measure that genuinely addresses the root causes of violence.