Representatives John D. Dingell (D-MI15) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY04) released the following statement, which marks the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy:

"One year ago, a sick young man killed 32 of his fellow students and wounded many more on the campus of Virginia Tech University. Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors of this tragedy, the family members of the victims, and all those members of the Virginia Tech community who have been affected. This tragedy was all the more regrettable because it could have and should have been prevented. The gunman had been adjudicated mentally ill by the State of Virginia, and under existing law should not have been able to purchase the guns he used to kill his classmates.

"We worked together to pass the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act, which was signed into law Jan. 8, 2008. The law will give states the resources they need to transmit records to the federal government and keep the NICS database updated. The law also benefits those who have been wrongfully included in the NICS database by providing a mechanism for petitioning the government for removal from the system.

"The mechanism put into place by the NICS Improvement Act has the potential to save lives, but only if the programs authorized by the law are funded. That is why we are continuing to work to obtain funding for these critical programs through the appropriations process. We cannot stop every instance of gun violence, but through implementing this common sense, bipartisan solution we can go a long way towards keeping guns out of the hands of those disqualified from gun ownership."