Over 42,000 people died as the result of gun injuries in the U.S. in 2023, NIHCM reports. The number of people killed by firearm violence grew by close to 43% between 2010 and 2020. This unfortunate reality has hurt too many families across our country. Inaction is not an option, and solutions to protect Americans deserve thoughtful debate and consideration. Everyone should be able to live in their communities without fear.
That is why I am proud to support H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. This landmark legislation would require a background check for every firearm purchase, closing loopholes that have allowed domestic abusers and severely mentally ill individuals to obtain dangerous, military-style weapons and use them to commit gun violence. This legislation will go a long way to ensuring that people who are prohibited by law from owning guns do not have access to them.
In August of 2023, I was proud to join Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to file an amicus brief in the pending United States v. Rahimi Supreme Court case, which will consider whether individuals with domestic-violence restraining orders can be prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The brief asserts that Congress enacted § 922(g)(8), the firearm prohibition for individuals subject to a restraining order, nearly three decades ago after being presented compelling evidence that domestic violence was a pervasive and persisting problem in the U.S. It was concluded on a bipartisan basis – including even the staunchest defenders of Second Amendment rights – that individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders pose an immediate danger to those closest them and shouldn’t have easy access to firearms. This aligns with a centuries old tradition of legislatures regulating firearm access to those posing the greatest risk of danger, which has historically been deemed consistent with the Second Amendment. This law has proven successful in reducing spousal homicides, and the Fifth Circuit Court decision jeopardizes decades of bipartisan efforts to protect some of our country’s most vulnerable citizens.
The data on firearms and domestic abuse is clear. We know perpetrators of violence use firearms to exert power and control over their victims, and access to a firearm increases the risk of intimate partner homicide at least five-fold. The Firth Circuit court decision will cost lives. Survivors with protection orders deserve full protection and safety under the law, and we have a responsibility to provide that peace of mind and safety by keeping weapons out of the hands of their abusers, as is currently the law.
I’m also proud to lead the bipartisan Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act, which closes loopholes that make it easier for perpetrators of dating violence and those convicted of misdemeanor stalking to legally access guns. People with a history of domestic violence shouldn’t have access to guns, plain and simple. Seventy-six percent of women murdered by a current of former intimate partner experienced stalking in the year prior to their murder. Closing loopholes that allow stalkers to access guns will save lives. Period.
Along with my colleagues Susan Brooks, Ted Deutch and Fred Upton, I am proud to champion efforts to pass national red flag legislation to help reduce gun violence. The Jake Laird Act provides grants to encourage states to adopt laws that enable local law enforcement, with probable cause, to temporarily remove and retain firearms from individuals who are determined to be an imminent danger to themselves or others. When someone is a threat to themselves or others, family and law enforcement needs tools to act before warning signs escalate to tragedies, and the Jake Laird Act will help provide local law enforcement – who are on the frontlines of responding to these crises – with the resources necessary to keep communities safe, all while protecting due process.
Upon taking office, all of us in Congress took an oath to protect the American people. To honor that promise, we must do everything in our power to keep our communities safe from the threat of gun violence.
