Fresno Mass Shooting: Costa Calls for Passage of Gun Safety Bills

By gvwire

Published 6 years ago on

November 18, 2019

Rep. Jim Costa reacted to a mass shooting in Fresno that left four people dead and six others injured Sunday evening by offering his support to law enforcement and renewing a call for passage of bipartisan gun safety legislation.

Official congressional portrait of Jim Costa

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, but as a community and a country, thoughts and prayers are not enough! We have passed meaningful bipartisan gun safety legislation this year in Congress that Sen. Mitch McConnell refuses to bring up in the Senate. That legislation, combined with state and local efforts, would help make a difference.” — Rep. Jim Costa

“It saddens me once again, to hear of another mass shooting, this time in my own district. I have reached out to local law enforcement and am ready to assist in any way possible,” Costa said Monday in a news release.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, but as a community and a country, thoughts and prayers are not enough! We have passed meaningful bipartisan gun safety legislation this year in Congress that Sen. Mitch McConnell refuses to bring up in the Senate. That legislation, combined with state and local efforts, would help make a difference.”
Costa is the co-founder and co-chair of the Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus, which helps crime victims.
The Fresno Democrat co-sponsored the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) and the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019   (H.R. 1296).

Giffords Issues Statement

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a 2011 mass shooting and assassination attempt in Arizona, also called out McConnell for failing to act on efforts to protect Americans from gun violence.

Fresno. San Diego. Duncan.

I refuse to live in a world where our children live in constant fear of gunfire. We should never accept this as normal.
America has solved seemingly insurmountable problems before. We can do it again. https://t.co/CMF0dab3kb
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) November 18, 2019

“Change starts with acknowledging that politicians in Washington have failed to protect us. Politicians like President Trump and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have taken millions from the NRA while not even allowing a vote on gun safety legislation like the Bipartisan Background Checks Act,” Giffords said in a news release. “Americans are ready to vote in leaders next November who are already committed to making this a priority from day one. If Congress won’t change, we’ll change Congress.”