Press Releases

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Chairman James Comer calling for the Oversight Committee to hold a hearing to address the gun violence epidemic plaguing this country following the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia. According to reports, the 14-year-old gunman entered the school armed with an AR-15 firearm, the preferred tool of mass shooters, to kill his classmates.

“On Wednesday, America experienced another massacre by AR-15 in a public school. With two more students and two more teachers dead and nine wounded in Winder, Georgia, with their families and communities grieving and ripped apart by this violence, we wonder whether you agree it is now time to call a hearing to address why our nation sees rates of gun violence hundreds of times higher than the United Kingdom and why gun violence is now the leading cause of death for American children and teens,” wrote the Members.

In the 118th Congress, the Republican-led Committee has only held one hearing about a mass shooting and that hearing was entirely focused on the operational failures of the United States Secret Service. On July 22, 2024, Chairman Comer convened a hearing to examine the attempted assassination of Donald Trump that took the life of one person and critically injured two people.

Since January 3, 2023, the first day of the 118th Congress, there have been more than 1,000 mass shootings, and 70 additional mass shootings following the July 22 hearing. Even though the majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, Chairman Comer and Republicans in Congress have failed to address this public health crisis which is the leading cause of death in children and teens.

“This Committee should show the American people that Congress can and will act to stop the devastation caused by AR-15s and other firearms every single day. We therefore urge you to convene a hearing this month about our gun violence epidemic and to discuss popular commonsense legislation, like a universal violent criminal background check and a ban on military-style assault weapons, to protect the lives of children at school, teachers, and the rest of the American people,” wrote the Members.

Click here to read the letter.