"What is the Speaker waiting for?  The Republican leadership is AWOL while gun violence keeps killing children. What is it going to take for the Republican leadership to wake up and smell the gunpowder in our schools and neighborhoods? The American people are tired of delay tactics and are tired of the National Rifle Association calling the shots on Capitol Hill," Schakowsky said.

"While we were waiting for the Speaker to follow the will of the House, a three-year old girl shot herself to death with a pistol she found inside her family's home on Saturday.  On Monday, shots were fired in a Chicago elementary school.  Thankfully, no one was killed," Schakowsky added.

Schakowsky also decried comments made yesterday by NRA president Charlton Heston. He compared the scorn born by gun owners to the persecution of European Jews during the Nazi era.

"How dare Charlton Heston use the horrors of the Holocaust, the death of six million Jews, and the plight of countless others to further his organization's agenda.  The NRA and its rhetoric are out of control," Schakowsky said.

"The NRA's big guns came out blazing in the past few weeks and made it clear that they will use whatever means necessary to kill any gun safety legislation.  The NRA leadership even blamed the President for the murder of my constituent, former Northwestern University basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong.  These sick and perverse actions only strengthen the desire of the American people for sensible gun safety legislation," Schakowsky added.

Schakowsky said that it is inexcusable for Congress to delay passing sensible gun safety legislation that would require the sale of child safety locks with each handgun, close the gun show sales loophole, and ban the importation of large capacity ammunition clips.  The Senate passed these measures as part of the Juvenile Justice Crime bill.  The House version did not include these provisions.  A conference committee has been assembled to work out the differences between the two bills.  However, the committee has yet to meet.