Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost joins Democrats calling for classified briefing on mass shootings

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost has partnered with two other first-term Democrats to demand a briefing on mass shootings in America.

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A mass shooting is defined as one in which at least four people are struck by gunfire in the attack, not counting the shooter.

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Less than a month into 2023, there have been 39 such shootings in the United States taking place across 18 states, according to the gun violence archive.

In total, 70 people have lost their lives and another 167 have been injured.

In the letter addressed to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Frost, Jared Moskowitz, and New York Congressman Dan Goldman request a classified briefing from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other relevant agencies on the problem.

“We came together to say, ‘hey, let’s give members of Congress the information they need,’” Frost said. “Let’s have a briefing on mass shootings, how they’re impacting communities, the lives being lost.”

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Frost says the briefing is needed to provide Congress the insight they need to develop solutions.

“We need hard data, but we also need to look at the root causes,” Frost said. “There’s so much information that comes out after these shootings, and a lot of times it’s misinformation.”

Frost says, for him, it’s important to collect as much data as possible on shootings, including demographic information, the guns that are used, and the laws in the individual states where mass shootings have taken place. The goal, he says, is to enact legislation that will make a difference.

“A lot of times you’ll hear people when there’s a mass shooting in a state that has good regulation on ending gun violence, folks will say it had good regulations and didn’t stop it,” Frost explained. “However, what they don’t say is that we don’t have federal laws, and what we need is federal laws that will help end gun violence…universal background checks, etcetera, so we need that data, and we need that briefing so folks know how gun violence impacts individual districts.”

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Frost, Moskowitz, and Goldman are all Democrats serving their first terms in Congress. Frost says it’s important to him that they also get Republicans on board.

“We’ve received a positive response, even walking on the floor hearing folks,” Frost said. “We haven’t gotten a response from the speaker yet.”

Read the full letter below:

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