In response to Senator Grassley’s vote against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, his Democratic opponent, retired Admiral Mike Franken, issued the following statement:
“With a vote of ‘No’ on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last night Senator Grassley refused to work across the aisle in order to save lives. Once again, he chose the gun lobby over innocent victims. His vote is indicative of a person who appears immune to the carnage of gun violence in this country. If his vote was the one that killed the measure, he would have gone on to brag about his senseless perspective on firearms, regardless of the benefits of common sense background checks and the closing of purchasing loopholes.
“We must have responsible gun ownership in this country. Senator Grassley said no to an opportunity to save lives and lessen the bloodshed affecting so many citizens. As a nation, we cannot become immune to our terrible position as the western world’s leader in gun violence…where death by firearms is the #1 cause of death in our school-age children. Senator Grassley stood with the NRA after Columbine. He stood with them after the Sandy Hook massacre, and now he continues to stand with the NRA, an organization that has funneled nearly $300,000 into his campaigns for over 40 years. It is past time to put a more sensible person in the Senate seat. I’m ready to go.”
