On August 9, 2019, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill joined fellow prosecutors from across the country calling on Senator Mitch McConnell to reconvene the United States Senate to act on gun violence prevention.
District Attorney Underhill, through his work with the Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV) organization, has worked with prosecutors throughout the United States to identify ways to reduce gun violence, particularly in the area of domestic violence.
The Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV) and the national Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) issued the following press release:
NATIONAL PROSECUTORS ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON SENATOR McCONNELL TO RECONVENE THE SENATE TO ACT ON GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Today Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV) and the national Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) as well as 43 prosecutors from 22 states across the country wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to, “implore you, in the strongest possible terms, to immediately reconvene the Senate in a session dedicated to preventing gun violence in America.”
The letter continues, “Gun violence is ripping apart families and neighborhoods on a daily basis. As we mourn the devastation of mass shootings across the country—most recently in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton—we turn to you because you can change this grotesquely unacceptable new American normal.”
While McConnell has just indicated the Senate will take up some gun violence prevention measures in September, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., co-chairs of the nonpartisan national coalition Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, issued a joint response: “Gun violence in America is a national emergency. Every day the Senate puts off this debate is a day when someone in America will needlessly lose their life to firearms. That’s why prosecutors, charged with protecting public safety, urge the Senate to take action now.”
The letter was co-authored by Prosecutors Against Gun Violence and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
The full text of the letter is included below.
August 9, 2019
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader, United States Senate
The Capitol, S-230 Washington, DC 20500
Dear Leader McConnell:
As prosecutors from across the nation, we respectfully implore you, in the strongest possible terms, to immediately reconvene the Senate in a session dedicated to preventing gun violence in America.
Gun violence is ripping apart families and neighborhoods on a daily basis. As we mourn the devastation of mass shootings across the country—most recently in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton—we turn to you because you can change this grotesquely unacceptable new American normal.
Courageous leadership now is essential. By reconvening the Senate on this crucial issue, you can make history. Let future generations look back and see a leader who said “Enough is enough,” and helped stop the carnage that scars our country.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.
Manhattan District Attorney
Co- Chair
Prosecutors Against Gun Violence
Mike Feuer
Los Angeles City Attorney
Co-Chair
Prosecutors Against Gun Violence
David LaBahn
President and CEO
Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
Jean Peters Baker Jackson County Prosecutor
Leon A. Cannizzaro
Orleans Parish District Attorney
Thomas Carr
Boulder City Attorney
John T. Chisholm
Milwaukee County District Attorney
John Choi
Ramsey County Attorney
Darcel D. Clark
Bronx County District Attorney
Terry Curry
Indianapolis District Attorney
Michael Dougherty
Boulder District Attorney
Joyce E. Dudley
Santa Barbara District Attorney
Mara Elliot
San Diego City Attorney
Kimberly Foxx
Cooke County’s State Attorney
Kimberly Gardner
St. Louis Circuit Attorney
George Gascon
San Francisco District Attorney
Eric Gonzalez
Kings County District Attorney
Pete Holmes
Seattle City Attorney
Paul L. Howard
Fulton County District Attorney
Jackie Lacey
Los Angeles County District Attorney
Barbara LaWall
Pima County Attorney
Beth McCann
Denver District Attorney
Michael McMahon
Richmond County District Attorney
Spencer Merriweather
Charlotte District Attorney
Marilyn Mosby
Maryland State Attorney
Kim Ogg
Harris County District Attorney
Nancy O’Malley
Alameda County District Attorney
Ismael R. Ozanne
Dane County District Attorney
Barbara Parker
Oakland District Attorney
Rachel Rollins
Suffolk County District Attorney
Jeff Rosen
Santa Clara District Attorney
John M. Ryan
Acting Queens Attorney
Katherine Fernandez Rundle
Florida State Attorney
Dan Satterberg
Kings County Prosecutor
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Attorney General
Madeline Singas
Nassau County District Attorney
Rod Underhill
Multnomah County District Attorney
Andrew Warren
Florida State Attorney
Lynneice Washington
Jefferson County District Attorney
Amy Weirich
Shelby County District Attorney
Kym Worthy
Wayne County Prosecutor
Steven B. Wolfson
Clark County District Attorney
Stephen Zappala, Jr. Allegheny County District Attorney