House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Monday urged House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to move forward on gun control legislation and form a committee to address gun violence after a gunman opened fire on a country music festival from high up in a hotel on the Las Vegas strip, killing at least 58 people.
“Congress has a moral duty to address this horrific and heartbreaking epidemic. Charged with the solemn duty to protect and defend the American people, we must respond to these tragedies with courage, unity and decisive action,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Ryan.
“Today is a day for prayer, mourning and love, but it must also be a day for action. As Members of Congress, our words of comfort to the families of the victims of the Las Vegas massacre will ring hollow unless we take long overdue action to ensure that no other family is forces to endure such an unimaginable tragedy,” she added.
Pelosi called on Ryan to pass legislation to strengthen background checks for gun purchases and to create a select committee to study gun violence and recommend policy to prevent future mass shootings.
Read the letter:
