By Daryl Kipnis
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When you watch this video, and hear my opponent Bonnie Watson Coleman at the very end, please recall that she was one of only 10 members of Congress who voted AGAINST the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (HR 4909) that 407 other Representatives in both parties voted for, which would, among other things, appropriate an additional $20M in federal funding to improve school security in the tragic aftermath of Parkland:
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https://www.facebook.com/NBCNews/videos/2573542269332454/
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Just like her, I am deeply saddened and troubled by these heinous acts of murder, and I agree with her 100% that moments of silence for victims won’t save one single solitary life.
But neither does saying one thing, no matter how forcefully, and doing another- in this instance, Congress actually proposed doing something, and she voted “no.”
We have the human and technological capability to keep guns out of hands in which they don’t belong, and prevent further loss of innocent life by those hands, while simultaneously protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families from those who would do them harm.
However, it will take sobering debate and discussion by citizen-representatives, rather than unhinged grandstanding by career politicians who never quite seem to be able to resolve the very issues they campaign on year after year, to lead to the kind of thoughtful policy-making we need to make that happen.
Even in the most grievous times of despair for our nation and its people, let us ever be guided by reason.
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