New Debbie Mucarsel-Powell ad pushes for increased gun regulation

U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is out with a new ad pushing for new gun control laws as Congress readies to return to work.

The summer break for lawmakers ended Monday, as they returned to Washington, D.C.

Mucarsel-Powell’s new ad recounts her reaction upon hearing her father was shot and killed while Mucarsel-Powell was a 24-year-old student.

“I was pulled out of class to tell me that my father had been shot and killed by a criminal with a gun,” Mucarsel-Powell said in the ad. “My life, at that moment, changed forever.”

The audio in the ad comes from an August rally in Miami featuring gun reform group Moms Demand Action. Democrats have once again called for increased gun regulation following a trio of separate mass shootings in August that left dozens dead.

“If we want to protect our children, and if we want to change our country, then we must demand courage and change from our lawmakers,” Mucarsel-Powell continued in the ad.

“The American people want this government to act and do something about gun violence. If we have the political will, the political courage, and if we have all of you behind us, there is nothing stopping us from finding commonsense gun reform and preventing one more mass shooting in our communities. We need action now.”

The two-minute spot closes with a photo of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has thus far refused to allow a vote on legislation that would expand background checks for gun purchases.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican, has joined Democrats to urge McConnell to allow a vote on the bill. Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch is also pushing multiple measures that he argues will cut down on gun violence.