Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson to Host Elvin Daniel, Brother of Gun Violence Victim and NRA Member at State of the Union
Washington,
Feb 11 -
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) today announced that he will host Elvin Daniel of McHenry, Illinois as his guest at the State of the Union on Tuesday night. Elvin’s sister, Zina Daniel, was shot and killed by her husband inside the Azana Salon and Spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Two others were killed and four were injured in the shooting. Since Zina’s murder, Elvin has dedicated himself to helping other victims of gun violence. Elvin is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
“Whether you’re an NRA member like Elvin, a hunter and gun owner like me, or one of the millions of Americans who have never fired a gun, we can all agree that we need to do everything we can to keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them,” said Thompson. “Elvin has dedicated himself to helping the victims of gun violence and it is my high honor to host such an extraordinary man at the State of the Union.”
"Sadly I am all too well acquainted with the horrors of gun violence. My sister became one of the 33 Americans who are murdered with guns every day after her killer was able to buy a firearm from a private seller without a criminal background check. As a gun owner and an NRA member, I support common-sense reforms to fix our broken gun laws. It's time for our leaders in Washington to act, so that others do not have to experience the grief I'll live with for the rest of my life. I am honored to attend the State of the Union with Congressman Thompson and I am deeply encouraged by his leadership on this most critical issue," said Daniel.
Shortly before she was killed, Zina was granted a restraining order against her husband which prohibited him from purchasing a gun. However, Zina’s husband was able to bypass a background check and buy a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun online two days after the restraining order barred him from owning firearms. One of the policy principles announced by the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force last week would close these kinds of background check loopholes.
The task force outlined the background check principle saying that Congress should act to:
- Require a background check for every gun sale, while respecting reasonable exceptions for cases such as gifts between family members and temporary loans for sporting purposes: It is estimated that four out of ten gun buyers do not go through a background check when purchasing a firearm because federal law only requires these checks when someone buys a gun from a federally licensed dealer. That would be like allowing four out of ten people to choose if they’d go through airport security. This loophole allows felons, domestic abusers, and those prohibited because of mental illness to easily bypass the criminal background check system and buy firearms at gun shows, through private sellers, over the internet or out of the trunks of cars.
A full version of the task force’s policy principles can be found here.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
# # #
|
