It Is Time to Turn Our Grief Into Action

Statement from ANA President Ernest J. Grant

As a nation, we are yet again grappling with senseless gun violence in the wake of the horrific mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton this past weekend.

Our hearts are heavy, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families that have lost loved ones to such hateful acts of violence. We are inspired by the unwavering courage of the nurses, first responders, administrators, EMTs, police officers and all others who saved countless lives.

Like so many of you, I’ve grown weary of this cycle of carnage, shock and grief.

It is time to turn our grief into action.

It is time for the U.S. Senate to move on the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) to ensure that dealers and manufacturers do not sell guns to individuals prohibited from owning firearms.

It is time the U.S. Congress instructs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct gun violence research to help identify and address the underlying issues that motivate acts of violence, by funding this research at $50 million.

Nurses are on the frontlines of care and witness first-hand the unimaginable devastation, heartbreak and finality of these and other acts of violence. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has for decades called on lawmakers to pass common sense policies at the state and federal level that will stem gun violence.

Please join me in urging your Senators to support Bipartisan, Common Sense Gun Violence Prevention.