Beto for America
August 4, 2019 1:49 PM

ICYMI: Beto O’Rourke Speaks from El Paso Following Devastating Mass Shooting

EL PASO－After visiting with families at the University Medical Center, Beto spoke to Univision this morning about what is allegedly the deadliest terrorist attack on the Latinx community in American history (full interview). In speaking to Univision and in other interviews this morning, Beto continued to hold the President to account for his role in the mass shooting, and to praise the strength of El Pasoans, saying “it took someone coming from outside this community of immigrants to bring their hatred and this death to El Paso - and in the face of that this community has shown just incredible strength and love and is more than a match for this. We will overcome this.” 

At 7:00PM MT tonight, Beto will join other members of the El Paso community at a vigil at the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center Headquarters.

Transcript:
We’re grieving right now for our fellow El Pasoans and this community is also thinking about Dayton and the people there who have suffered such extraordinary loss. Came back yesterday and got to spend some time with some of the victims and their families. I’m seeing extraordinarily courageous people who have suffered the most grievous wounds and who have also learned that it wasn’t just one family member, it was two or three or more who were shot and in some cases who were killed. This community is coming together unlike any other time that I can remember. Donations of blood, donations of food - just the love and encouragement and the strength and the support in the face of a horrific mass killing. You know, El Paso will see on average 18 murders a year. That’s the average over the last ten years. We lost at least 20 people yesterday. And it took someone coming from outside of this community of immigrants to come and bring their hatred and their death to El Paso, and in the face of that, this community has shown, just incredible strength and love and is more than a match for this. We will overcome this. But something has to change. And one of the wives of one of the victims, he had been selling things to raise money for the soccer team he coaches - shot in the chest, his wife asked me, “Why is this happening in our country right now, why will this continue to happen, how do we change this?” And Jake, I’ve got to tell you, in addition to universal background checks, in addition to ending the sales of weapons of war into our communities, in addition to red flag laws, we've got to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we're seeing. There is an environment of it in the United States. We see it on Fox News, we see it on the Internet, but we also see it from our commander-in-chief. He is encouraging this. He doesn't just tolerate it, he encourages it. Calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, warning of an invasion at our border, seeking to ban all people of one religion. Folks are responding to this. It doesn’t just offend us, it encourages the kind of violence that we’re seeing including in my hometown of El Paso yesterday. 
 
Transcript:
We have absolutely got to overcome this. I’m thinking about the people in Dayton, I’m thinking about the folks in Gilroy. I think about the acts of hatred and violence - whether it was at Mother Emanuel in South Carolina, or the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, or Poway just outside of San Diego. We’ve got to be bigger and stronger and more confident and courageous than this hate and this intolerance right now. And we’ve got to call it out where it exists in the highest positions of power and public trust, including in the White House right now at this moment -  or else it will consume us and this country. The future is in our hands. We either accept this or we change this, and I for one and going to do everything within my power to change this. Not only calling that out but reminding this country that we are a nation of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees. That our differences must not only be tolerated but embraced as the very source of our strength and yes, our security and our safety. That is America at its best. 
 
Transcript: 
Jake Tapper: During one of the debates, your 2020 opponent Governor Jay Inslee of Washington said that Trump is a quote white nationalist. That was a fairly stark accusation. Do you agree with that, do you think President Trump is a white nationalist? 
Beto: Yes, I do. And again, from some of the record that I just recited to The things that he has said, both as a candidate and then as president of the United States, this cannot be open for debate. And you, as well as I, have a responsibility to call that out, to make sure that the American people understand what is being done in their name by the person who holds the highest position of public trust in this land. He does not even pretend to respect our differences or to understand that we are all created equal.
He is saying that some people are inherently defective or dangerous — reminiscent of something you might hear in the Third Reich, not something that you expect in the United States of America — based on their religion, based on their sexual orientation, based on their immigration status, based on the countries that they come from. Calling those in Africa shithole nations and saying that he'd like to have more immigration from Nordic countries, the whitest place on planet Earth today. So again, let's be very clear about what is causing this and who the president is. He is an open, avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country and this is incredibly dangerous for the United States of America right now. All of us have a responsibility to stand up and be counted on this issue.

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Kamala Harris for the People email
August 4, 2019 2:38 PM

No more thoughts and prayers

Content warning: this email contains references to gun violence and mass shootings that some readers may find upsetting.

Joe,
Yesterday in El Paso, 20 people lost their lives at a shopping mall. It was a Saturday afternoon. They were killed by a man with an assault rifle, and it was over in minutes.

And then, late last night, nine people were killed during a mass shooting at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, by a man wearing body armor, wielding what has been described as an “assault-style weapon.” The shooting lasted no more than 1 minute.

This is life in America in 2019. People are killed by guns in schools, at festivals, at concerts, at places of worship, in malls, and at picnics -- everywhere people live their lives. El Paso was the 250th mass shooting in America this year, and Dayton is 251.

This doesn’t happen anywhere else. It happens in America because our so-called leaders lack the courage to act. And frankly, I’ve had enough. Have you?

As President, I will ask Congress to place comprehensive gun reform on my desk within 100 days. If they fail to act, I will take action. Here is what I will do:

• I will revoke the licenses of gun manufacturers and dealers that break the law and take the most egregious offenders to court.


• I will mandate the most comprehensive background checks in history by requiring anyone who sells more than five guns in a year to run a background check on all gun sales.


• And I will ban the importation of AR-15-style assault weapons into the United States.

These are actions well within the powers of the presidency. And I will take them. This is a public health emergency that needs to be addressed.

No more thoughts and prayers. We need action. If you’re with me, split a contribution to Giffords, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

DONATE

Thank you for adding your voice to this fight. We can’t accept this as normal in America. We have to act, and we have to act now.

For the People,

— Kamala Harris

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Cory 2020 email
August 4, 2019 4:52 PM

Joe, over the past twenty-four hours, we have lost at least 29 Americans to mass shootings. More than 50 people are injured, and countless more will suffer from the trauma of these events for years to come.

Let me be clear: Donald Trump is giving license to violence. He’s responsible.

Because his racism and bigotry directly inspires white supremacists who carry out attacks like the one we saw yesterday in El Paso.

Because he hasn’t moved a finger to rid our streets of weapons of war.

Because he blames everything but the easy access to guns for people who have no business possessing them.

Because when these shootings occur, he and other Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott tell us that it is time “to focus more on memorials before we start the politics.”

We don’t have time for that. Before we’re even done mourning one shooting, the next one occurs.

We saw that overnight.

I was in church last night -- and one of the lessons in my faith is that you reap what you sow.

When Donald Trump uses words like “infestation” and “invasion” and “shithole countries” and tells congresswomen of color to “go back” to where they came from, when he refuses to condemn neo-Nazis and calls them “very fine people” after they run over a woman with a car -- he is giving license to this kind of violence.

He is sowing the seeds of white supremacy. He is sowing the seeds of violence. He is engaging in politics that leads directly to the stream of violence we are witnessing.

We cannot continue to live in this reality.

There are so many steps we can take to end this uniquely American problem. We can ban the weapon of war the El Paso and Dayton shooters used, as my plan would do. We can require federal licensing for everyone who wants to buy and possess a gun, because if you need a license to drive a car, you should need one to get your hands on a gun too.

We need moral clarity and healing and love in our nation. We need leaders who are capable of pursuing that -- and we must come together to help our fellow neighbors.

Please, if you are able, consider making a donation to help victims in El Paso and Dayton.

El Paso Victims’ Fund: https://payments.epcf.org/victims

Dayton Foundation: https://www.daytonfoundation.org/

This is a time for moral courage. It is a time for more courageous empathy.

Cory

Our Hearts Break for Victims of the Massacres in Dayton and El Paso. Guns and Hatred Are a Lethal Combination, and Lawmakers Must Take Action NOW.

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the shootings in Dayton and El Paso:

“The brutal mass shootings in Dayton last night and in El Paso yesterday morning were two more heart shattering, preventable tragedies. Too many lives have been ended or forever altered. Too many mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters are mourning.  There have been more mass shootings in our country than there have been days in 2019;  many shooters have used military-style assault weapons, which must be banned; and in recent years white nationalist extremists have killed more people in the United States than any other type of domestic extremist.
We mourn the victims in Dayton and El Paso and stand with all those affected by the senseless gun deaths that are devastating our communities virtually every day. We will not rest until the epidemic of gunviolence and hate in America ends.

“As we mourn those lost, we must address the deeply disturbing fact that these and other shooters may have been motivated by abhorrent white supremacy, white nationalism, bigotry, and anti-immigrant hate. From the Muslim Ban and ‘Send her back,’ to ‘Build the wall’ and family separation, President Trump’s dehumanizing racism emboldens those who commit hate crimes, including those who use military-style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines to terrorize and kill.

“Make no mistake, the President’s hate-filled words and actions are provoking violence and weakening our country in profound ways. White nationalism is domestic terrorism. It’s time for the media to call it out as such.

“The diversity of our nation is what makes us strong, innovative and prosperous, not the opposite.  America’s moms join with responsible leaders in government, the religious community, and law enforcement in denouncing the President and his allies for their inflammatory, divisive, and dehumanizing rhetoric and policies. It is not enough for them to condemn individual acts of violence. The hatred, the division, and the easy access to high-powered guns must end.”

--Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“The atrocities that occurred in Dayton and El Paso this weekend are part of an escalating pattern of attacks by domestic terrorists, many of whom are inspired by racism and hate. The dangerous rise in hate speech, hate crimes, and white supremacy in our country over the last few years, combined with easy access to powerful firearms, facilitate tragedies like these.

“America’s moms are horrified. Military-style assault rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47 are the weapons of choice for mass shooters and have been used over and over by domestic terrorists. Tens of thousands of moms and family members have signed on to MomsRising’s demands that Congress protect our families and communities by, among other things, banning the sale of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition, and disarming hate by preventing individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms.

“Enough is enough. We need our elected leaders to de-escalate the hate and reaffirm their commitment to our democratic values of freedom and justice for all.  And we need them to enact solutions NOW to stop our epidemic of gun violence.”

--Statement of Gloria Pan, National Director for Gun Safety, MomsRising
 

The White House
August 5, 2019

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  My fellow Americans, this morning, our nation is overcome with shock, horror, and sorrow.  This weekend, more than 80 people were killed or wounded in two evil attacks.

On Saturday morning, in El Paso, Texas, a wicked man went to a Walmart store, where families were shopping with their loved ones.  He shot and murdered 20 people, and injured 26 others, including precious little children.

Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning in Dayton, Ohio, another twisted monster opened fire on a crowded downtown street.  He murdered 9 people, including his own sister, and injured 27 others.

The First Lady and I join all Americans in praying and grieving for the victims, their families, and the survivors.  We will stand by their side forever.  We will never forget.

These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation, and a crime against all of humanity.  We are outraged and sickened by this monstrous evil, the cruelty, the hatred, the malice, the bloodshed, and the terror.  Our hearts are shattered for every family whose parents, children, husbands, and wives were ripped from their arms and their lives.  America weeps for the fallen.

We are a loving nation, and our children are entitled to grow up in a just, peaceful, and loving society.  Together, we lock arms to shoulder the grief, we ask God in Heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer, and we vow to act with urgent resolve.

I want to thank the many law enforcement personnel who responded to these atrocities with the extraordinary grace and courage of American heroes.

I have spoken with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, as well as Mayor Dee Margo of El Paso, Texas, and Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to express our profound sadness and unfailing support.

Today, we also send the condolences of our nation to President Obrador of Mexico, and all the people of Mexico, for the loss of their citizens in the El Paso shooting.  Terrible, terrible thing.
I have also been in close contact with Attorney General Barr and FBI Director Wray.  Federal authorities are on the ground, and I have directed them to provide any and all assistance required — whatever is needed.

The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate.  In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.  These sinister ideologies must be defeated.  Hate has no place in America.  Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul.  We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism — whatever they need.

We must recognize that the Internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts.  We must shine light on the dark recesses of the Internet, and stop mass murders before they start.  The Internet, likewise, is used for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution, and so many other heinous crimes.  The perils of the Internet and social media cannot be ignored, and they will not be ignored.

In the two decades since Columbine, our nation has watched with rising horror and dread as one mass shooting has followed another — over and over again, decade after decade.

We cannot allow ourselves to feel powerless.  We can and will stop this evil contagion.  In that task, we must honor the sacred memory of those we have lost by acting as one people.  Open wounds cannot heal if we are divided.  We must seek real, bipartisan solutions.  We have to do that in a bipartisan manner.  That will truly make America safer and better for all.

First, we must do a better job of identifying and acting on early warning signs.  I am directing the Department of Justice to work in partisan — partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as social media companies, to develop tools that can detect mass shooters before they strike.
As an example, the monster in the Parkland high school in Florida had many red flags against him, and yet nobody took decisive action.  Nobody did anything.  Why not?

Second, we must stop the glorification of violence in our society.  This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.  It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence.  We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately.  Cultural change is hard, but each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.  That’s what we have to do.

Third, we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people not only get treatment, but, when necessary, involuntary confinement.  Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.

Fourth, we must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms, and that, if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.

Today, I am also directing the Department of Justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty, and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively, and without years of needless delay.

These are just a few of the areas of cooperation that we can pursue.  I am open and ready to listen and discuss all ideas that will actually work and make a very big difference.

Republicans and Democrats have proven that we can join together in a bipartisan fashion to address this plague.  Last year, we enacted the STOP School Violence and Fix NICS Acts into law, providing grants to improve school safety and strengthening critical background checks for firearm purchases.  At my direction, the Department of Justice banned bump stocks.  Last year, we prosecuted a record number of firearms offenses.  But there is so much more that we have to do.
Now is the time to set destructive partisanship aside — so destructive — and find the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion, and love.  Our future is in our control.  America will rise to the challenge.  We will always have and we always will win.  The choice is ours and ours alone.  It is not up to mentally ill monsters; it is up to us.

If we are able to pass great legislation after all of these years, we will ensure that those who were attacked will not have died in vain.

May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo.  May God protect them.  May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio.  May God bless the victims and their families.  May God bless America.

Thank you very much.  Thank you.

END
10:18 A.M. EDT

Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement after President Trump delivered remarks on the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton:

“In February, the new Democratic House Majority promptly did its duty and passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which is supported by more than 90 percent of the American people and proven to save lives.

“However, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called himself the ‘grim reaper’ and refuses to act on this bipartisan legislation.  It is incumbent upon the Senate to come back into session to pass this legislation immediately.

“It took less than three hours for the President to back off his call for stronger background check legislation.  When he can’t talk about guns when he talks about gun violence, it shows the President remains prisoner to the gun lobby and the NRA.

“The public must weigh in and demand passage of this legislation for the safety of our children.”

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
August 5, 2019

Dear Colleague on Response to Mass Shootings

Dear Democratic Colleague,

Thank you to all the Members who participated in today’s very thoughtful and sad conference call regarding the recent gun violence tragedies in Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton and Chicago.  We heard from the chairs of our committees of jurisdiction, our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Members representing the areas impacted by the shootings.

On the subject of domestic terrorism, we recognize the leadership of Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, who announced a series of hearings to address the national and personal security threat of white supremacy and domestic terrorism, starting next week.

On the subject of gun violence prevention, we are aggressively moving forward in pressing Leader Mitch McConnell to call the Senate back into session to pass the Bipartisan Background Check Act (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 1112), which the House passed in February.

We thank Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler for announcing further possible committee action during the district work period on other gun violence prevention legislation, including a red flag bill.

We appreciate the efforts of Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson, who suggested several ways to put pressure on the Senate and to consider other gun violence prevention legislation.

The House stands ready to return to pass legislation, if the Senate sends us back an amended bipartisan bill or if other legislation is ready for House action.  We will pursue public events in Washington and across the country, and make full use of pro-forma sessions and tele-Town Halls to update the American people on the possibilities.

For years, Democrats have worked with the survivors of gun violence on legislation and promised that we would never stop until we got the job done.  Public sentiment is in favor of gun violence prevention.  The American people must weigh in with the Congress and the President.

I join Leader Schumer in asking Leader McConnell to call the Senate back and bring up the Bipartisan Background Check Act (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 1112).

As was indicated on our call, the terrorism of white supremacy is challenging the very character of America.  We must work in a hopefully bipartisan way to remove that cancer from our society.  To do so, we must ensure that federal agencies, including the FBI, have the resources to protect our country from this curse.

We call upon the President to make this effort a priority for his Administration.

Thank you for your leadership and compassion at this sad time.

In his remarks today, Trump once again regurgitated NRA talking points, blaming anything but guns for this weekend’s mass shootings. Every time he talks about gun violence, he has sided with the NRA and failed to take action.  

• Trump signed into law legislation that overturned an Obama-era rule that would have made it more difficult for mentally disabled individuals to obtain guns.

• Trump blamed mass shootings on “mental illness.” But his administration is fighting in court to overturn the ACA, which helps provide mental health treatment through Medicaid expansion and essential health benefits.

• After the Parkland shooting, Trump established an ineffective federal commission on school safety that failed to address the role of guns in mass shootings.

• After a meeting with the NRA, Trump backed off off his push to increase the minimum age for gun purchases.

• Trump vowed to support comprehensive background checks, but then softened his support after meeting with the NRA and threatened to veto bipartisan House-passed universal background check legislation that is supported by 86% of Americans.

• Trump repeatedly advocated for the irrational policy supported by the NRA of arming teachers as a method of gun violence prevention.