Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Gun Reform After Buffalo, Uvalde Shootings

On June 8th, 2022, following testimony from victims of the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings, Rep. AOC spoke on gun reform.
Every week in recent memory, we have had at least one mass shooting — and this is not normal. Between 2009 and 2018, the United States had 288 school shootings, while all other G7 countries combined had five.
The way that we regulate guns in our country is deeply broken. And yet, the gun industry is doing everything it can to block gun reform. Gun companies make millions of dollars in profits, and then pour those profits directly into lobbying against firearm regulation.
The House is expected to pass the Protecting Our Kids Act later today to address the gun violence epidemic. The legislation will then head to the Senate, where negotiations are occurring in an attempt to pass some form of gun control legislation.
Republicans like to blame mental health as the cause of gun violence, yet are doing nothing to address the root causes of such violence. In addition to enacting gun control legislation, we also need to address the emergence of white supremacy radicalization, misogyny, domestic violence, mass incarceration, and poverty — which are all connected to the mass shootings in our communities.