March 07, 2018

Wyden, Hood River Student Call on Congress to Act on Gun Safety

Hood River High School Student and Gun Violence Prevention Activist Testifies Before Congress

Washington, D.C. – Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today said at a hearing with Senate Democratic leadership that Congress can no longer do nothing in the face of gun violence ripping through schools and communities across America.

Testifying at the hearing was 16-year-old Eva Jones, a sophomore at Hood River Valley High School, who Wyden invited to share her experience as a student working to prevent gun violence.

“Mass shootings and school massacres have become disturbingly common in our country. Equally horrifying is how normal it has become for lawmakers to sit back and do nothing about it,” Wyden said. “Young people like Hood River’s Eva Jones are leading by example, and Americans should follow suit and continue to push for change at every level and hold their lawmakers accountable.”

Jones stood up at Wyden’s town hall in Hood River County on Feb. 24 and said arming teachers and putting more security in schools is not the answer to protecting students from school shootings.

At today’s hearing, she called on Congress to pass legislation to better protect her fellow students and their teachers. Jones is organizing a 17-minute walk-out at her school on March 14 to call attention to the need for gun violence prevention in America and to recognize the students and teachers who were shot and killed at a school in Parkland, Florida last month.

“I am not content to allow my peers to try and learn in an environment like this any longer. America’s students will not stand by and watch our classmates’ murders week after week,” Jones said. “We cannot allow our nation to go along with this any longer.”

In addition to his support for completed background checks, Wyden also backs other steps to reduce gun violence: banning “bump stocks”, repealing liability protections for the firearm industry, and federally funded research into gun violence to treat it like the public health crisis it is.

For video of the remarks by Wyden and Jones, go here.