Marietta, GA — Today, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta) released the following statement on last night’s mass shooting at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed, including a veteran of the Boulder Police Department. Last night’s tragedy follows the devastating shootings in Atlanta last week, which killed eight people. It is estimated that 100 Americans lose their lives to gun violence every day.  

“Every single time there is a shooting in this country, Americans everywhere are glued to the news in horror and fear. Fear that the images they see—of students streaming out of school with their hands in the air, of police tape surrounding a church or synagogue, of chalk outlines in a neighborhood grocery store—will one day live in their own communities. 

“And every single time there is a shooting in this country, we hear endless platitudes from politicians ‘sending thoughts and prayers’ while refusing to act. To all those offering empty words and hollow gestures, I say faith without work is dead. Faith without action does nothing to stop communities from being ripped apart. Faith without action does nothing to protect our children while they learn to read. Faith without action does nothing to stand up for the families across the country who are terrified that they will send their kids off to play and never see them come home.  

“Terrified that they will one day be me.

“Survivors, families, and communities across the country are tired of Republicans in the Senate playing politics with people’s lives. 90% of the country supports universal background checks, and we will no longer accept the inaction of those who wish to deny the American people the safety they yearn for.

“Americans everywhere have given this government a mandate. A mandate to put aside partisan bickering, to solve problems and protect people, and to compromise with common sense.

“Today, I call on the Senate to fulfill that mandate, to embody camaraderie, brotherhood, and bipartisanship, and to fight for unity over division, because this nation’s fight against gun violence has never been more unified.”

McBath is an original cosponsor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and a cosponsor of H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. Both bills passed the House of Representatives earlier this month.