Gun Violence

Virginia Tech. Sandy Hook. Aurora. Las Vegas. Parkland. The list grows longer each year. Each life taken from us due to gun violence is more than another name on a list — it’s someone’s mom or dad, someone’s son or daughter. We cannot go on like this. As a country, thoughts and prayers are no longer enough — we need legislation and change.

I don't believe in the false choice presented by too many politicians in Washington: that we must pick between the Second Amendment rights of gun owners or the safety of our communities. In fact, I believe that passing commonsense, wildly popular gun safety laws is the best way to protect responsible gun owners and address the epidemic of gun violence that has torn so many of our communities apart. We can and must do both.

I'm a proud member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and I know firsthand that too many Members of Congress are in the NRA’s pocket. I want to get big money out of politics and reform our campaign finance system to ensure that the voice of the American people, not the NRA, is what lawmakers in Washington pay attention to. That’s why I’ve introduced Constitutional Amendments to overturn the Supreme Court’s Disastrous Citizens United decision and return power back to the people of this country, where it belongs. 

Pass Commonsense Background Checks

Every year, background checks stop around 88,000 gun sales to criminals, domestic abusers, individuals with severe mental illnesses and other purchasers who are prohibited from buying guns. But in some states, those same people can buy the same weapons at a gun show, over the internet or through a newspaper ad with no questions asked. That’s why I proudly voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 to expand background checks to cover all gun sales and most transfers. I’m proud of states like Massachusetts that have led the nation in passing strong, commonsense gun violence prevention laws that are working. States that have passed expanded background checks, laws to disarm domestic abusers, and extreme risk protection orders see lower rates of gun-related deaths, gun trafficking, intimate partner gun violence, suicides, and mass shootings.

Ban Assault Weapons Used in Mass Shootings

27 killed and 1 injured at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. (Dec. 2012). The attacker used an assault weapon. 49 killed and 53 injured at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. (June 2016). The attacker used an assault weapon. 58 killed and 887 injured at a country music festival in Las Vegas (Oct. 2017). The attacker used an assault weapon. 17 killed and 17 injured at a high school in Parkland, Fla. (Feb. 2018). The attacker used an assault weapon. 23 killed and 26 injured at a Walmart in El Paso (Aug. 2019). The attacker used an assault weapon. 21 killed and 17 injured at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas (May 2022). The attacker used an assault weapon.

Notice a pattern here? Me too. Maybe that's why 67% of Americans favor an assault weapons ban—including more than half of all gun owners. In fact, this shouldn't be controversial at all. America used to have an assault weapons ban. On September 13, 1994, President Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which included the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. The number of deaths and injuries from mass public shootings significantly decreased during the 1994-2004 assault weapons ban. The likelihood of mass shooting deaths fell by 70% when the ban was in effect. After it expired, the total number of mass shooting deaths increased by a whopping 483%. That's because assault weapons and high capacity magazines result in more shots fired, more persons hit, and more wounds inflicted per victim than do attacks with other firearms. 

Pass the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act

The Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act would keep guns out of the wrong hands by banning individuals who present safety risks from buying guns, establishing Extreme Risk Protection Order systems, and cracking down on gun theft; ensure that guns are used and stored responsibly by raising the minimum age for all gun or ammunition purchases to 21; crack down on gun trafficking by banning bulk gun purchases and establishing a new law to specifically ban gun trafficking; and improve oversight of gun dealers by strengthening ATF’s authority to inspect gun shops, enhancing record-keeping requirements for gun dealers, and repealing harmful appropriations riders that limit law enforcement’s ability to trace guns that are used in crimes and hold gun dealers accountable when they break the law.