Thread by @ewarren

Gun violence is a public health crisis. That’s why I have a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan—a plan to make big, structural changes to end the NRA and corrupt lawmakers’ ability to block our government from defending the lives of our people. medium.com/@teamwarren/pr…

The statistics are horrifying. Our firearm homicide rate is 25x higher than other comparable countries. Our firearm suicide rate is nearly 10x higher. Women are 21x more likely to be shot to death—most killed by an intimate partner. 21 children and teenagers are shot every day.

It’s easy to despair when our government refuses to act. But we are not incapable of solving big problems. Over fifty years ago, we took big steps to make our cars safer and since then, we reduced per-mile driving deaths by almost 80% and prevented 3.5 million automobile deaths.

In 2017, almost 40,000 people died from guns in the U.S. My goal is to reduce that number by 80%. We’ll start with solutions we believe will work. We’ll update those solutions based on new research—and stop corrupt extremists from blocking action by ending the filibuster.

From the White House, I will take executive action to rein in an out-of-control gun industry. Gun manufacturers make billions by knowingly selling deadly products, and it’s time to hold gun dealers and manufacturers accountable for the violence promoted by these products.

We'll require background checks for the vast majority of private gun sales, including at gun shows and online. We'll extend the existing requirements on reporting bulk gun sales. And we'll raise the minimum age for purchasing a gun.

My administration will also protect survivors of domestic abuse by closing the "boyfriend loophole." And we'll reverse the Trump administration's efforts to weaken gun safety, including rules that enabled 3-D printed guns and make it easier to create untraceable weapons.

I will send Congress comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation and sign it into law within my first 100 days.

This legislation will ensure that safe, responsible ownership is the standard for everyone who chooses to own a gun. We'll create a federal licensing system, require universal background checks, establish a real waiting period, and cap firearms purchases.

In addition to ending the special legal immunity gun manufacturers have now, Congress should hold manufacturers strictly liable for gun-related injuries and give victims of gun violence a private right of action to recover compensatory damages from manufacturers.

Black and Latinx Americans have borne the brunt of the gun violence tragedy. But after being traumatized by gun violence, these communities have been doubly victimized by increased policing and strict sentencing laws.

We have to chart a new path, and that starts with investing in evidence-based community violence intervention designed to stop gun violence before it occurs. As president, I’ll establish a grant program to invest in and pilot intervention programs at scale.

And we'll revisit this legislation every year—adding new ideas and tweaking existing ones—to keep reducing the number of gun deaths in America. My budget will invest $100 million for DOJ and HHS to study gun violence, evaluate the reforms we pass, and suggest new ones.

The dialogue about gun violence in America is shifting, thanks to the work of activists, organizers, community leaders, and survivors. It's time to turn our heartbreak and anger into action, and take power from the NRA and corrupt lawmakers and return it to the people.