DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement after Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced a bill requiring universal background checks on gun sales:

“Eight years ago today, a gunman opened fire outside a grocery store as Congresswoman Gabby Giffords spoke to her constituents. Congresswoman Giffords and 18 others were shot; six people died, including a 9-year-old girl named Christina-Taylor Green.

“As we remember those we lost in Tucson, we recognize it’s long past time to take action. Democrats want the same thing that 90 percent of Americans want: universal background checks on gun sales. This isn’t about partisanship, it’s about common sense. It’s about listening to the American people, not NRA lobbyists.”