Rep. Ritchie TorresMar 29, 2023

As I told Mika and Joe on MSNBC, I have a message for my Republican colleagues who pretend to be powerless to prevent gun violence and mass shootings:

If you’re not in Congress to protect public safety and protect children from mass murder, then what are you here for?

Show threadgeoffreygevaltMar 30, 2023
@RitchieTorres I so appreciate this message. Please do not get me wrong.
But.
EVERY HOUR in this country 11 people die from drug overdoses. Eight of them from opioids.
I think it's the obligation of EVERY congressman to protect the safety of the public, of ALL its citizens.
YES, mass shootings are a catastrophe.
YES not doing anything is, at best, amoral.
BUT what of the drug deaths. What of this violent scourge? We need to stop judging, stop criminalizing and start helping.
Show threadLady Artemis

@gg @RitchieTorres

More people die from alcohol than opiods in the USA. Just a general reminder to the world that alcohol is a drug too.

Mar 30, 2023 at 6:20amWeb
Show threadgavinisdie Mar 30, 2023
@missladyartemis @gg @RitchieTorres honestly I feel we need to ban alcohol again (coming from someone who has dealt with alcoholics)
Show threadLady ArtemisMar 30, 2023

@gavinisdie @gg @RitchieTorres

Prohibition in the USA didn't stop alcohol use and abuse. It created a whole new layer of crime. Things like education, and healthcare, and bringing families out of poverty, and putting an end to the prevalent myth that alcohol is not a drug as bad or worse than any other drug, and mandatory mental health classes/training for all (everyone is already required certain schooling) - these things would help a lot more than prohibition.