Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-5th) has been selected to serve as a vice chairman on the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was formed last month in the wake of the tragic school shooting in Newtown to investigate steps Congress should take to reduce gun violence.
“I’m honored to be named to the leadership team for the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force,” said Esty, who beat Republican Andrew Roraback in the Fifth Congressional District race in the November election, in a press release issued just one day after she was sworn in. “As the Representative for Newtown and as a mother, I feel a special responsibility to that community and to the parents who have suffered such unimaginable horror."
"We can’t allow the loss of innocent life we saw in Newtown to happen again," Esty added. "We can’t allow the loss of innocent life that we have seen far too often in Waterbury and Meriden and far too many of our cities and our towns to continue. The status quo is unacceptable, and action is long overdue."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced the formation of the task force last month following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary which took the lives of 27 people, including 20 students.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson of California will serve as chairman of the task force, which is expected to present its first proposals on gun control by early February.
“Having met with law enforcement, our first responders, mental health professionals, and community leaders in Newtown and across our state, it is clear to me that we must take comprehensive action," Esty said. "That means commonsense, federal gun-safety policies that work as well as making a firm and lasting commitment to mental health services."
