Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting:

“Five years ago today 20 children and six educators were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach when I heard the news. 

 “I keep a copy of the New York Daily News cover with photos of the children and the words ‘Shame on Us’ in my office as a constant reminder of why we continue to fight for commonsense laws to prevent gun violence. 

 “Five years later Congress has done nothing—nothing—to protect our communities.

“I renew my call for Republicans to support our bill to ban bump-fire stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns. I’ve reached out to 17 Republican senators. They all agree in theory that civilians shouldn’t have bump-stocks, but won’t sign on. Today, of all days, is a day for every Republican senator to consider supporting our bill.

“Banning bump stocks is just one of the many steps we should take. We also need to improve the background check system, ensure all sales are subject to background checks and ban military-style assault weapons. We honor the memory of those 20 children by taking action, not with our words.”