WASHINGTON (AP) – The son of Ruth Whitfield, an 86-year-old woman killed when a gunman opened fire on a racist attack on black shoppers in Buffalo, New York, prompted Congress on Tuesday to crack down on “white supremacy cancer” and the national epidemic from gun violence.
Garnel Whitfield Jr.’s emotional testimony comes as lawmakers work hard to reach a bipartisan agreement on gun security measures after a series of mass shootings. Ten days after the deaths of his mother and nine others in New York, another 18-year-old armed man with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire in Uwalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers.
“What are you doing? You were chosen to protect us,” Whitfield Jr. told members of the Senate Justice Committee.
“Is there nothing you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy and the internal terrorism it inspires?” He asked. “If there is nothing, then, with respect, senators… you must cede your positions of power and influence to others who are ready to lead this issue.”
The hearing is the first of two this week as families of victims and survivors of the Buffalo and Uwalde mass shootings appear at public hearings and events on Capitol Hill to show the human consequences of gun violence in America and call on Congress to act. .
Insisting on a deal, President Joe Biden met Tuesday with Sen. Chris Murphy, a key Democratic negotiator who has worked for most of his career trying to control the scourge of mass shootings across the nation after the heartbreaking massacre of 20 children. at Sandy Hook Elementary School in his home state of Connecticut a decade ago.
Murphy told reporters after the meeting that he was grateful to have the opportunity to brief the president on the talks. “Obviously we still have work to do in the Senate,” he said.
Murphy said his goal was to try to reach an agreement this week, but added that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was clear that “we need extra time to put points above i and cross t, who will receive it. “
Also Tuesday, Uwalde actor Matthew McConaughey toured the Senate’s offices before heading to the White House to open the daily briefing. McConaughey, who earlier this year was considering running for governor of Texas, spoke about the importance of taking legislative action “to make the loss of those lives meaningful.”
“We want safe and secure schools and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for bad boys to get damn guns,” he said. The 52-year-old actor and his wife went to Uwalde the day after the shooting and spent time with the families of the victims.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee is expected to hear more families of the victims and fourth-grader Mia Serilo, who caught the attention of Americans after describing that she covered herself in the blood of her dead classmate and pretended to be dead to survive. the shooting in Uwalde.
Tuesday’s Senate hearing focused directly on the ideology of white supremacy, which authorities say forced an 18-year-old armed man in military uniform to drive for hours to a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo and broadcast his violent villain live. . The shooting killed 10 people and injured several others.
“My mother’s life mattered,” Whitfield said. “Your actions here will tell us if and how important it is to you.
Shortly after the Buffalo massacre, a bill that would boost federal resources to prevent domestic terrorism failed in the Senate at the hands of the Republican opposition. Even at Tuesday’s hearing, Republican senators took the time to focus on racial injustice protests in the summer of 2020, citing the incidents as acts of internal extremism.
After the failed vote, the senators regrouped and began meeting in private in a small bipartisan group led by Murphy and Republican Senator John Cornin, trying to reach a compromise that could actually become law.
But lawmakers have been here before – unable to pass any major gun safety laws for decades in the face of strong opposition from Republicans in Congress, some conservative Democrats and fierce lobbying by gun owners and the National Weapons Association. Since the 1994 ban on assault weapons, which has expired since then, no basic law has come into force.
The problem for Democrats is that a number of issues with bipartisan support would probably not stop the shooting in Buffalo or Uwalde. And those advocated by gun security advocates would be met with deep reluctance by Republicans. Such a proposal would raise the age requirement for arms purchases from 18 to 21 years. Another popular measure among Democrats would be to ban assault rifles altogether.
Instead, senators are focusing on gradual policy changes through a system that will send funds and other incentives to states to strengthen security on school campuses, provide more mental health services to young people, and possibly encourage states to follow red laws. flag to keep firearms out of the hands of people who would cause harm.
But one thing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem to agree with is that inaction is not an option.
“We know we won’t do it all at once,” Sumer said Tuesday afternoon. “But the American people want us to do something, and they want to see Republicans do something.
His colleague on the other side of the aisle seemed to repeat the feeling. “Almost everyone would like to get a result,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. “I hope we have one sooner rather than later.”
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Associated Press writers Kevin Frecking, Alan Fram and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
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