Written by Stephanie Moore (Featured Photo Courtesy Mika Baumeister on Unsplash)
The past year has been a test of the human condition and with the opening back up of the country from restrictions related to the pandemic, the United States has seen an uptick in mass shootings. This relates to another deep problem in American culture. Abuse.
Many people know or have been survivors of abuse while many are still in the cycle of abuse whether it takes on the form of physical, verbal, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial. All are reprehensible, and we as a culture must implore our elected officials to listen and do more. This is where as a Texan, I ask Senators Cruz and Cornyn to do what is right, and listen to ALL constituents.
Senator Cornyn, in your reelection campaign you stated that you had sponsored a bill called the “Jenna Quinn” law. It is a step in the right direction, pulled directly from your website you state:
“There is no question this has been a difficult year for our country, with division and disagreement taking center stage. That changed for a moment last week when the Senate unanimously passed a bill that I had introduced called the Jenna Quinn Law to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our country.”
“This bill carries the name of an inspiring young Texan who is one of forty-two million adult survivors of child sexual abuse nationwide. As Jenna says, ‘Child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic.’”
“The Jenna Quinn Law will take the successful reforms in Texas and other states and finally back them with some federal funding for that essential training. This bill will allow current grant funds to the Department of Justice, for example, to be used for specialized training for students, teachers, and caregivers to learn how to identify, safely report, and hopefully prevent future child sexual abuse.”
“It is a critical step to interrupting this cycle that is impacting children across the country and preventing more children from enduring this trauma.”
“We need to make investments now in the health and safety of our children and bring this silent epidemic to an end.”
Why is it now as the Violence Against Women Act comes up again to the Senate, and yet you remain eerily silent along with many of your fellow Senators including Ted Cruz? I as a constituent ask the same question as the journalist profoundly questioned you in the San Antonio Current did on December 11, 2019, where is your action to protect women against violence?
Is it that your NRA and second amendment activists pay your lobby more so that money talks? That is not the reason for holding office, you are a PUBLIC SERVANT, so instead of allowing for the “boyfriend loophole” to keep you from reenacting and supporting such an important bill, listen and do what is best for your constituents, close the loophole and practice what you sponsored in the “Jenna Quinn law”.
The boyfriend loophole that I speak of is what is keeping this reenactment of the bill that passed in the house with 172 nay votes mostly based on this loophole as of March 23, 2021. This bill is stalled from being heard in the Senate because 2nd amendment activists are up in arms about their “rights”. Again I ask why and where the 2nd Amendment takes precedence over the human rights of the 1st Amendment? The answer is, it doesn’t, the 1st Amendment always takes precedence over the others which is why the bill of rights begins with the freedoms that ensure basic human rights and not the rights to bear arms.
The “boyfriend loophole” is the federal loophole that “ refers to the fact that the Lautenberg Amendment only keeps guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers who are currently — or were at one time — married to their victim, live with their victim, have a child with their victim, or are a parent or guardian of their victim. That means stalkers and current or former boyfriends or dating partners can still buy and own a gun, even if they’ve been convicted of a domestic violence crime.
2nd Amendment lobbyists and enthusiasts are many of the base for senators like you Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Cruz, so is there money so much more important than those lives that are constantly being put at risk and the rest of the constituents you are bound to represent?
I can’t honestly answer that because I am not you, however, I can go in and see your voting record, which is not in the favor of women, not in the favor of abuse survivors. Intsead in my opinion, this favors those background check hating, incel white supremacist men who have repeatedly proven that they in fact are the exact people we as a culture should be checking out and keeping weapons out of their hands.
Do what is right senators, listen to the 51% of the population this bill is specific to protect. Start here, and listen to more than just the gun worshipping, misogynists that are buying your votes. Cross your partisan lines, and back the bill which will save lives. Keep guns out of more abusers’ hands, and will possibly start to get to the root of the problem in this country. Nearly every other “civilized” country by American standards does it, so why not take the road of a true public servant and serve ALL of the people that you represent.
This is not an opinion on gun control, other than keeping violent abusers of all sorts from being able to purchase weapons and hurt others.
Contact Stephanie at- stephanie.lauren.moore@gmail.com
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