Moms Demand Action Lobby Day Remarks

Thank you, Angela. Thank you for coming to Oregon for today’s lobby day! Thank you for your leadership to prevent gun violence in Oregon and across the country. 

And thank you to Amie Wexler and all the Oregon leaders from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action locally. Thank you for devoting your time and energy to make our communities safer from gun violence.  

Every Oregonian deserves to live in a community free of gun violence.

But we know there have been too many tragedies. We know that gun violence alters and damages too many people’s lives.

And we know that many of these horrible incidents could have been prevented. That’s why it’s important for all of us to step up and demand safety for our family members, friends, and neighbors.  

Because of your hard work and the work of many others, we have certainly made progress in recent years:

There are some great bills before the legislature this year. If you get them to me, I’ll sign them.

Before I left the Legislature to run for Governor, the last bill I introduced directed the Oregon Health Authority to implement grant programs for community violence prevention and intervention services across the state. Those efforts are making a difference. 

But there is more work to do. We must continue to fight for meaningful change, not only in Oregon but across the country, so that future generations of children and parents don’t have to fear entering school building or public spaces.

I will continue to push for and support locally-driven, evidence-based violence prevention programs. We must continue growing their presence around the state.

In addition to gun violence prevention laws, we have to look at the issue of violence holistically. I’ve heard loud and clear about the mental health challenges so many people across the state are living with, especially our young people. My recommended budget for the next two years dedicates funds to make sure adults and young people have access to the mental health care they need.

But we can’t stop there. I’m also asking for an investment in Oregon’s youth development programming to stop violence before it starts - I’m strongly behind investing in prevention and intervention services related to reducing violence. We have to keep investing in ways that reduce instances of violence and keep our youth from getting in situations where firearms are too easily accessed.

There is a lot going on at the federal level, and when it comes to violence prevention efforts, it’s unclear that the work we’ve done here will be reflected in Washington D.C. But what is clear is that our work here in Oregon continues and being here today with all of you who are ready to advocate on behalf of your communities – well, that gives me hope. Thank you for inspiring me.

I believe that this is the best antidote to fear:  coming together to care for each other, to keep going despite the adversity and headwinds, to continue to make change. This is how we make progress.

Finally, I want to thank the people who are here today to share their lived experiences of gun violence. You don’t owe us your stories, but you are sharing them with us anyway, to help us be the change that we want to see in the world. That’s courageous, and I thank you.

Thank you again for having me today.