March For Our Lives co-founder: Senate gun reform package should be beginning of Congress’s work

David Hogg, a March For Our Lives co-founder and survivor of a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., is applauding a bipartisan group of senators for their framework on a gun reform package, saying it should not be the end of Congress’s work on the issue. 

“We’ve said this time is different, and it’s clear it is,” the 22-year-old said in a statement just after the senators announced the framework on Sunday. “Thousands of Americans this weekend, including Democrats, Republicans, and gun owners in 450 cities made clear that the Senate must bring this plan to a vote. We cannot wait any longer–lives literally hang in the balance.”

Hogg also said that he is “grateful” that the Senate bipartisan group worked to find “common ground” on this matter, saying that more work from Congress needs to be done to address this issue. 

“We need to be clear: there is more work to be done to save more lives, including requiring background checks for every single gun purchase nationwide. This bill, the first of its kind in 30 years, should be the beginning and not the end of Congress’ work,” Hogg said. “We must build upon the life-saving foundation it provides to go further and expand these laws until we bring an end to the epidemic of gun violence.”

Hogg added that March For Our Lives “will continue mobilizing our supporters nationwide to demand a vote on this bill and more federal legislation to end gun violence.”

Over the past week, the organization met with 70 lawmakers to demand gun reform legislation and held over 450 rallies across the country on Saturday. 

The senators’ framework includes funding for school safety resources, expanded background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and incentives for states to implement “red flag’ laws. 

The proposed legislation comes in response to the recent string of mass shootings in the U.S, which prompted more debate on gun control in the country. 

In a statement on Sunday, President Biden said he plans to sign the Senate’s gun reform package, adding “the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.”