Napa Valley Register - Thompson Introduces Gun Bill
February 27, 2013
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, introduced a bill Wednesday that intends to offer states incentives to create armed-prohibited person programs, which removes firearms from people who purchased them legally but were later convicted of crimes or were deemed dangerously mentally ill.
The bill would create a competitive grant program in the U.S. Department of Justice that would offer funding to states that create their own armed-prohibited programs, according to a news release from Thompson's office.
California has such a program, and agents in the state Department of Justice cross reference firearms-purchase records with records of criminal convictions to find people in possession of guns they can no longer legally own. The agents then work to remove the guns.
“No matter which side of this debate you are on, no one wants criminals or people with a history of dangerous mental illness to have guns,” Thompson said in the news release.
He introduced the bill with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, at a news conference in Washington, D.C.
The bill would create a competitive grant program in the U.S. Department of Justice that would offer funding to states that create their own armed-prohibited programs, according to a news release from Thompson's office.
California has such a program, and agents in the state Department of Justice cross reference firearms-purchase records with records of criminal convictions to find people in possession of guns they can no longer legally own. The agents then work to remove the guns.
“No matter which side of this debate you are on, no one wants criminals or people with a history of dangerous mental illness to have guns,” Thompson said in the news release.
He introduced the bill with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, at a news conference in Washington, D.C.