Clinton Has Had Enough

Following Monday's votes in the Senate, GOP representatives have again blocked gun safety measures that would have expanded background checks and prohibited suspected terrorists from purchasing guns. Fresh from the devastating tragedy in Orlando that renewed action surrounding gun measures, Hillary Clinton released this short but powerful statement: "Enough," followed by the names of the 49 victims of the mass shooting.

In a Republican-controlled Senate that frequently gets caught up in chasing its own tail, Clinton's message is more than poignant — it effectively gets to the heart of many Republicans' refusal to act as the country sees mass shooting after mass shooting. The names of the victims — their impact doubled by the sheer multitude of them — show the true cost of these failed bills. Her statement simply read:

"Enough."

Stanley Almodóvar III, 23 | Amanda Alvear, 25 | Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 | Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 | Antonio Davon Brown, 29 | Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 | Ángel L. Candelario-Padró, 28 | Juan Chávez-Martínez, 25 | Luis Daniel Conde, 39 | Cory James Connell, 21 |Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 | Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 | Simon Adrián Carrillo Fernández, 31 | Leroy Valentín Fernández, 25 | Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 | Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 | Juan Ramón Guerrero, 22 | Paul Terrell Henry, 41 | Frank Hernández, 27 | Miguel Ángel Honorato, 30 | Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 | Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 | Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 | Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 | Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 | Alejandro Barrios Martínez, 21 | Brenda Lee Márquez McCool, 49 | Gilberto Ramón Silva Menendez, 25 | Kimberly Morris, 37 | Akyra Monet Murray, 18 | Luis Omar Ocasio-Capó, 20 | Geraldo A. Ortíz-Jiménez, 25 | Eric Iván Ortíz-Rivera, 36 | Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 | Jean Carlos Méndez Pérez, 35 | Enrique L. Ríos, Jr., 25 | Jean C. Nives Rodríguez, 27 | Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 | Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 | Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24 | Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 | Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 | Martin Benítez Torres, 33 | Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 | Juan P. Rivera Velázquez, 37 | Luis S. Vielma, 22 | Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velázquez, 50 | Luis Daniel Wilson-León, 37 | Jerald Arthur Wright, 31.

The four gun measures alone were not revolutionary — at least, not in the context in which groups like the National Rifle Association attempt to paint them, with the supposed radical left storming in to disarm every American citizen. They were common-sense gun laws that would have protected everyone, including the Latinx LGBTQ community, which continuously finds itself victim to gun violence and the hatred freely peddled by organizations like the NRA. One bill was even proposed by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas.

The first gun measure would have allocated more resources to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, while the second would have expanded background checks to all private gun sales. The remaining two proposals — opposing plans to deal with suspected terrorists — sought to either block the sale of a gun to a person suspected to have terrorist ties outright, or conversely, would have halted a sale only if a judge found probable cause that the buyer was suspected to be involved in terrorist activities.

The loss in the Senate today is another devastating blow to the many people who merely want common-sense gun laws on the books, particularly in the wake of the largest mass shooting in recent history. After today's dismal outcome, voters and advocacy groups will have to turn their efforts toward November, when many representatives are up for reelection.

Although expected, it is an unfair move forward — the perpetuation of gun violence should have ended long ago, before "enough" could succinctly sum up the frustration of losing another 49 people to a weapon that has no place on the streets.