DC Vote and Hands Off DC Pushes Back on Rep. Jim Jordan’s Hearing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 12th, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrice Snow
[email protected]

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a candidate for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, is holding a hearing on “Victims of Violent Crime in the District of Columbia.”

CeCe Grant, executive director of DC Vote stated, “Jim Jordan and the House Republicans think they have the qualifications to run the District of Columbia when they don’t live here and don’t know our community. Over and over again, Congress has proven themselves incapable of passing a budget, raising the debt ceiling, keeping the government running, or even electing a Speaker. Maybe Congress should leave the governance of the District of Columbia to the 700,000 people who live here and focus on solving our national and international problems.”

“If Congress cares about gun violence in DC, they should pass national gun safety legislation — not interfere in DC’s local governance,” said Alex Dodds from Hands Off DC. “Congress’s ongoing refusal to pass common sense gun safety legislation is the single largest reason that DC and communities all over the country are experiencing our epidemic of gun violence.”

The House Committee on the Judiciary should be focused on real solutions, like strengthening our background check system to prevent dangerous individuals from getting their hands on guns in the first place, stopping rogue gun sellers and dealers from funneling firearms to traffickers and straw purchasers, and holding bad actors up and down the industry supply chain accountable. Instead—with stunts like this, gun extremists are choosing to prioritize politics over public safety.

DC Vote, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to self-determination and freedom for the disenfranchised residents of the District of Columbia, along with partner organizations like Hands Off DC will be packing the Rayburn House Office Building hearing room to clearly express our #IndependenceForDC message to Congress. We ask for nothing less than what the citizens of Arizona or Ohio have – the freedom to vote for our local representatives qualified to tackle local issues including gun violence and community safety.
Grant added, “Also, It’s mystifying to me how Rep. Jordan has time to hold hearings on crime in cities all over the country, when his home district of Mansfield has been nicknamed ‘Danger City’ for having one of the highest crime rates in the entire nation. I’m sure his district could benefit from more of his attention.”

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