Democratic Senators Form ‘Gun Violence Prevention Caucus’ After String of Mass Shootings

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) attends a Senate hearing in Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on June 16, 2020. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/POOL

A group of eight Democratic senators on Feb. 2 announced the formation of a Gun Violence Prevention Caucus that will see lawmakers work together to promote “commonsense solutions” to end soaring shootings across America.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) announced the formation of the caucus while condemning the number of mass shootings across the country.

“We wake every day to headlines of another mass shooting in this country,” said Feinstein in a statement. “We can’t allow this to continue.”

“The members of this caucus have all been leaders on the issue, proposing commonsense solutions to stop gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” Feinstein continued. “We know that no single bill will solve the problem, but by working together to develop a comprehensive approach, we believe there is an opportunity to pass reasonable gun safety bills.”

Mass Shootings in California

According to Feinstein’s statement, the caucus members will focus on the successes and failures of state-level laws for violence involving guns, and how such laws could potentially be applied at a federal level, as well as strategies for drafting gun safety legislation that does not violate constitutional rights and avoids lawsuits.

Members will also look at ways to engage local communities in the “fight against gun violence,” best practices for advocacy, and also ways to engage and work with the executive branch.

The announcement of the Democratic caucus follows a string of mass shootings across the country, including two in California in January.

On Jan. 21, a gunman opened fire on individuals celebrating the Lunar New Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, killing 11 people and injuring nine others. The suspect, Huu Can Tran, 72, died of a self-inflicted gunshot the following day at a strip mall parking lot in Torrance, according to police.

He was declared dead at the scene.

Just days later, seven people were killed in two farms in Half Moon Bay by shooter Chunli Zhao, 66. Zhao, a farmworker, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

According to advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety and the Giffords Law Center, California, which has banned the sale of military-style weapons and has mandatory waiting periods and background checks for the purchase of firearms, is the top state for gun safety in the United States.

Mass Shootings Jump in 2023

Red flag laws have been passed in the state under Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, including those allowing the court, at the request of family members of authorities, to confiscate guns from people deemed to pose a danger to themselves or others.

Gun manufacturers also face stiff penalties in civil court if their firearms are used in a crime.

That is despite pushback from gun rights advocates who fear that implementing stringent gun control measures violates their Second Amendment rights.

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which began tracking mass shootings in 2014, there have been 54 mass shootings so far this year.

The GVA defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the shooter. In January 2022, there were 34 mass shootings and in the same month a year prior, there were 32 mass shootings, according to GVA, making this January the worst on record.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, who has long pushed for Congress to pass tighter gun-control legislation, continues to renew his call for Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons.