Schumer says ‘a plague of gun violence’ has taken over America
Speaking on the floor of the Senate a day after a gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said there was “a plague of gun violence that has taken over this country.” Schumer also blamed Senate Republicans for not passing legislation to stop the bloodshed.
Video Transcript
CHUCK SCHUMER: There is a plague, a plague upon this nation, a plague of gun violence that has taken over this country. Two weeks ago, that plague claimed the lives of 10 Black Americans who were massacred in broad daylight while shopping at a grocery store in Buffalo. They were Black. And they were in a grocery store. That is the reason they were shot by an 18-year-old with an AR-15.
And then, yesterday, just 10 days after Buffalo, that plague struck again in Uvalde, Texas, where 19-- 19-- innocent children and 2 teachers were gunned down at Rob Elementary in the middle of the school day, just before the start of summer when these kids were looking forward to having such a wonderful time with their family and friends. Gone. They're gone.
The shooter crashed his truck near the school, overpowered the police already at the scene, and reportedly began shooting inside a fourth grade classroom. 19 kids, 2 teachers forever gone in the blink of an eye. America's gun epidemic is unmatched by any of our peer nations in the world. No American is safe from it. And the American people are sick and tired of it.
But we also have a problem-- a big problem-- here in the United States Senate. A big problem in the United States Senate. The problem in the Senate is simple. Too many members on the other side of the aisle are disconnected from the suffering of the American people. Too many members on that side care more about the NRA than they do about families who grieve victims of gun violence.
