Beatty Statement on the Shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon

Statement

U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement in the aftermath of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon:

"My heart is again heavy as I extend my thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families and loved ones of the tragic shooting in Roseburg. I join President Obama in his comments last night asking us, 'Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?' In a nation that accomplishes the most difficult things, surely we should be able to do something to make our nation safer.

"Just hours before the Umpqua Community College shooting, I joined 146 bipartisan Members of Congress in sending Speaker Boehner a letter urging him to act on gun violence. Our letter said it yesterday and I'll say it again today -it is time for Congress to act.

"As recently as four months ago I was in Charleston, South Carolina at the memorial service of the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney, pastor of the Emanuel African American Methodist Episcopal Church, praying for the Charleston Nine victims and their families. After every mass shooting we repeat the same routine, and nothing changes. It's time for congress and the people of this nation to do its job to keep us safe."

Source