Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Announces Rep. David Cicilline as New Task Force Vice Chair

By Carmen Russo

Washington – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5), Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, today announced that Task Force member Rep. David Cicilline (RI-1) will now serve on the Task Force as one of 13 Vice Chairs. The Vice Chairs and Thompson comprise the Task Force’s leadership team.

«33,000 Americans are killed each year in an incident of gun violence. It’s inexcusable that Congress has done nothing to address this ongoing epidemic,» said Cicilline. «I’m grateful for the opportunity to help lead this fight as a Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. I look forward to continue working with Chairman Thompson and leaders in the Democratic Caucus to demand commonsense actions to reduce gun violence in the United States.»

“I am proud to announce that Congressman David Cicilline will serve on the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force as a Vice Chair,” said Thompson. “With his experience combatting urban gun violence as Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island and his exemplary leadership on our Task Force, I am confident that David will continue to be an effective advocate for our Task Force as a Vice Chair as we continue our work to reduce and prevent gun violence while protecting the rights of law-abiding individuals to own firearms.”

After the December 14, 2012, school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Thompson was named by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to chair a congressional task force on reducing and preventing gun violence. The House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has been leading the effort in the House of Representatives to pass commonsense legislation (H.R. 1217) to close dangerous loopholes in our background check system that make it far too easy for criminals, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill to bypass a background check when purchasing guns online, at a gun show or through a classified ad.