The House Oversight Committee recently announced that it has conducted a hybrid hearing to investigate the role of firearm manufacturers in regard to gun violence in the United States in a July 27 press release.
In a later press release, the Committee reported that five major gun manufacturers have made approximately $1 billion from selling semiautomatic AR-15-style guns during the last decade.
“With more than 300 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, and gun violence now the leading cause of death of children in America, it is clear that we are in a public health epidemic," Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform stated. “It is long past time for the gun industry to be held accountable for the carnage they enable and profit from.”
Gun executives Christopher Killoy, President and CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.; Marty Daniel, CEO of Daniel Defense LLC; and Ryan Busse testified that the majority of gun violence cases were isolated incidents caused by factors other than the availability of firearms, such as mental illness.
The two CEOs also refused to take the blame for the guns being used in mass shootings, with Daniel stating these deaths were "local issues."
They also refused to take responsibility for monitoring any of their guns that have been used in criminal activity, with Killoy saying that it is "not our job."
Kelly Sampson, senior advisor at the Giffords Law Center, senior attorney and director of racial justice at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and Antonia Okafor, National Director of Women's Outreach for Gun Owners of America, testified against the availability of semi-automatic weapons.
“Not only are they able to shoot from a further distance, but they also allow a lone shooter to inflict much more harm on a greater number of people in a shorter amount of time” Sampson stated.
In addition, Chairwoman Maloney stated that she will introduce new legislation in the coming weeks to hold the gun manufacturers responsible for the harm caused by their weapons.
