Reps. Madeleine Dean and Mike Thompson Comment on Gun Violence

“It’s hard to point to me as an anti-gun person. I’ve got a gun safe full of them! Every year, when we have the competition for skeet, trap, and sporting clays, Democrats vs. Republicans, I always walk away with the trophy.”

On the morning of March 15th, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Ca.) spoke in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on the issue of gun violence. They began the morning by addressing a student town hall at Norristown High School before giving a joint press conference on the case for background checks. At their press conference at Montgomery County Courthouse, the two members of Congress were joined by a number of state legislators and local activists, including a mother and daughter who became involved in the issue after a member of their family committed suicide with a firearm. The event Friday morning came in the wake of the House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 8 Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which was sponsored by Rep. Thompson.

Merion West editor Erich Prince spoke with Rep. Dean and Rep. Thompson for brief one-on-one interviews after the event. Below are their conversations:

Congresswoman Dean, there was some discussion in the remarks today about the role of young people in this gun reform movement, such as David Hogg, who became active after the Parkland shooting. Obviously, you chose a school for your venue earlier this morning to discuss these topics. What do you see as the role these younger generations play in leading this effort?

Literally, that is the role: young people are leading this effort. You know, I thought after Sandy Hook, when we saw babies slaughtered in their First and Second Grade classrooms, that that would be enough to tap into our common humanity and say, “Enough is enough.” We found that it wasn’t, but Parkland changed things. And it’s the young, bright people who, within hours, came out and said, “We’re going to make a difference.” And they’ve stayed with it: they’ve been down in D.C.; they’re all over. Obviously, other high school students have followed [the Parkland students’] lead. I’m absolutely convinced that young people are making a difference and changed the face of [the 2018 midterm election] and helped put people like me in office. That’s what we’re trying to say today at Norristown Area High School: “You guys are the lead on this. We are inspired by you. We have been maddened by the fact that adults have not taken the lead, that elected members of the Congress and Senate have failed the students. The role of the students is absolutely paramount.”