Payne, Jr. Holds Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable in Newark
Newark, N.J. – Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) welcomed local community leaders and constituents to his Newark District Office for a meeting on gun violence prevention. Congressman Payne, Jr. demanded House Republicans allow votes on bipartisan legislation to address the gun violence epidemic that takes the lives of 91 Americans every day.
City of Orange Township Councilwoman Donna K. Williams; Rahway Mayor Samson Steinman; Montclair Councilwoman Renée Baskerville; South Orange Village Trustee Deborah Davis Ford; East Orange Councilman Casim Gomez; Bill Rutherford, Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church; James Harris, Immediate Past President of the Montclair NAACP; and representatives from Essex County, the East Orange My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, and the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition were among the attendees.
“House Republicans, against the wishes of the American people, decided to leave Washington for seven weeks without holding any votes on gun safety legislation,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “We’ve come together today to send a message that the House Republican approach to gun violence—one of inaction and indifference—has failed. I will continue to demand that Republicans give us a vote, for the safety and security my constituents and Americans across the country deserve.”
Earlier this month, Congressman Payne, Jr. held a symbolic sit-in with constituents at his Newark office to discuss solutions to gun violence and demand that House Republicans act on gun violence prevention legislation.
The symbolic sit-in followed a historic 26-hour sit-in on the House Floor in which House Democrats, led by civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, demanded that Speaker Paul Ryan allow a vote on two pieces of bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation:
- The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation to expand and strengthen the background checks system.
- The bipartisan “No Fly, No Buy” bill to prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns.
Attendees also discussed the importance of ensuring that police departments are accountable to their communities. Congressman Payne, Jr. is a cosponsor of H.R. 2875, Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which would promote greater community accountability of law enforcement.