This year alone, there have been 300 mass shootings in the United States — killing or injuring over 1,500 innocent people.
Today in America, our children are being instructed how to duck and cover if an active shooter enters their classroom. Teachers and staff are in constant fear that their school could be targeted next. Churches, synagogues, and mosques are on high alert, and Americans doing their shopping or attending events are increasingly concerned that they or their loved ones may fall victim to gun violence at the hands of a shooter.
It is difficult to write these words and acknowledge these truths — and yet, this is our reality.
View the complete commentary by Rep. Dean Phillips on the Medium website here.
When President Trump targeted mental illness as the cause of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton that killed 31 people, federal health officials made sure no government experts might contradict him.