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Gun Violence Prevention

As a lifelong hunter and gun owner, I believe in a law-abiding individual's right to own a firearm. I also know we have a responsibility to help keep our schools, streets and communities safe. The gun debate isn't a choice between reducing violence and protecting the Second Amendment. It's about the willingness of a responsible majority to do both.
In 2012, then-Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed me Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This group, consisting of 180 Members of Congress, is devoted to finding commonsense solutions to our nation's ongoing gun violence epidemic.
Following my appointment as Chairman, I held a series of open town halls on some of the actions Congress could take to address gun violence. Hundreds attended these meetings. I heard views from law enforcement officials, mental health experts, school officials, NRA leadership and gun violence prevention advocates. Many feared their Second Amendment rights would come under attack. Others wanted to cast these rights aside. I believe both views are too extreme. My position has always been that criminals or people who are a danger to themselves or others should not be able to possess firearms.
The Supreme Court affirmed in District of Columbia v. Heller that Americans have a right to keep and bear arms. However, just as the First Amendment protects free speech while prohibiting incitements to violence, the Second Amendment also has limits. In Heller, the Court upheld laws against firearms in places like schools and laws against felons or the dangerously mentally ill carrying guns. This ruling provides folks on both sides an opportunity to pass gun violence prevention legislation while working inside the confines of the Second Amendment.
Gun violence prevention goes far beyond mental health because mental health concerns don’t explain why the gun homicide rate in the United States is 26 times that of other high-income countries.
In 2022, the Supreme Court released a decision which limits the way states can set local firearm rules. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen concerns a New York state law that requires anyone who wants a license to carry a concealed handgun to show "proper cause" for the license. When the Supreme Court struck down New York’s conceal and carry law which had been on the books for more than 100 years, they created a new legal test which has the potential to invalidate hundreds of state and federal gun safety laws. Their extreme ruling undermines the authority of states to responsibly regulate the use of firearms and will lead to more gun violence. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of lawsuits filed that all attack basic commonsense laws, all inspired by the ruling in Bruen.
As a gun owner, I take seriously my obligation to ensure firearms are owned and used responsibly. That's why I introduced H.R. 715, my bipartisan bill to expand background checks to cover all sales and most transfers. Our background check system works. On average since 1994, background checks have stopped over 138,000 gun sales annually to criminals, domestic abusers, individuals with dangerous mental illnesses or other prohibited purchasers. However, in some states, those same individuals can buy identical guns at a gun show, over the internet or through a newspaper ad without having to first pass a background check. H.R. 715 would close this loophole, greatly reducing the number of places criminals and the dangerously mentally ill can acquire a firearm.
In the 117th Congress, we passed, and President Biden signed into law, the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in 30 years. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will do the most important thing any gun violence prevention legislation can do: save lives. A majority of Americans and responsible gun owners support the provisions of this law because it is designed to protect America's children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides funding for red flag laws, creates protections for victims of domestic violence, implements penalties for gun trafficking and straw purchasing, enhances background checks for people under 21, and invests in community violence intervention initiatives.
Tens of thousands of lives have been lost in the thousands of mass shootings and the daily gun violence that have taken place since Sandy Hook. Please know I'm committed to offering the victims and survivors of this violence more than thoughts and prayers. Parents across our country now live with the reality that if their child dies, the most common reason for that death is not because of cancer or a car crash, but a bullet. I am committed to passing legislation that protects our communities from the epidemic of gun violence while respecting the Second Amendment.