In The Know

John Mellencamp rips senators’ response to gun violence

John Mellencamp performs on stage at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year show in 2015.

Singer John Mellencamp is calling out senators for their response to gun violence, saying lawmakers don’t care about Americans’ lives. 

“Only in America, and I mean only, in America, can 21 people be murdered and a week later be buried and forgotten, with a flimsy little thumbnail, a vague notion of some sort of gun control law laying on the senators’ desks,” Mellencamp wrote on Twitter late Tuesday.

“What kind of people are we who claim that we care about pro-life?” Mellencamp asked. 

The “Hurts So Good” singer also said that politicians do not care about people, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if another mass shooting happens soon. 

“Just so you know, anyone that’s reading this… politicians don’t give a f— about you, they don’t give a f— about me, and they don’t give a f— about our children,” Mellencamp wrote. “So with that cheery thought in mind, have a happy summer, because it will just be a short time before it happens again.” 


Mellencamp’s remarks came as Senate negotiators reached an agreement on bipartisan gun safety legislation. 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes funding for school safety resources, expanded background checks for buyers under the age of 21, penalties for straw purchases of firearms and new protections for domestic violence victims. 

The bill, which was drafted in the wake of a string of mass shootings in the U.S., is expected to pass in the Senate after 14 GOP lawmakers voted to advance it Tuesday evening. A final vote in the upper chamber is expected later this week.