Reps. Kelly, Casten, Horsford, Levin Urge House Leadership to Advance Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressmembers Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Sean Casten (IL-06), Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Andy Levin (MI-09) led 24 of their colleagues in urging Members of House Leadership to take action on pending gun violence prevention legislation in the face of the worsening gun violence epidemic.

“At the start of this Congress, House Democrats promised to build on the success of passing the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Check Act in the 116th Congress. However, over the last 14 months these remain the only gun violence prevention bills passed out of the House of Representatives. As Americans throughout the country continue to be victimized by gun violence, we must act with the necessary urgency.

“We cannot accept that gun violence is just a facet of everyday life. In the United States, no child should be afraid to go to school or walk around their neighborhood. No spouse should be afraid to come home at night. No American should be afraid to go to work or their place of worship. And no human being should be afraid to go to a shopping mall or baseball field, nightclub or movie theater, concert, or college campus. We are tired of the excessive gun violence in our communities and are urging action on bills that will help reduce senseless gun violence,” wrote the Members.

The Members requested the following bills be called to markup and receive action on the House floor, but made sure to note that action on any gun violence prevention legislation is needed:

• H.R. 748, Ethan’s Law (DeLauro, CT). This bill creates federal requirements for safe gun storage if there is a reasonable expectation that children or prohibited persons might be able to access them and establish strong penalties for any violations.
• H.R. 882, the Keeping Guns from High-Risk Individuals Act (Kelly, IL). This bill prohibits the sale or transfer of guns to individuals who have been convicted of certain aggressive and high-risk behaviors.
• H.R. 2280, the Prevent Gun Trafficking Act (Kelly, IL). This bill specifies the prohibition of straw purchasing of firearms, making straw purchasing a federal crime.
• H.R.4118, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (Horsford, NV). This bill would provide federal grants to communities for evidence-informed community violence intervention and prevention programs designed to interrupt cycles of violence.
• H.R. 5245, the Gun Trafficker Detection Act (Casten, IL). This bill requires gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours.  
• H.R. 6225, the Federal Firearm Licensee Act (Kelly, IL). This legislation expands the applicability of federal firearms laws to “facilitators” of firearm sales, such as sellers at gun shows and on online marketplaces, which, in several states, are currently permitted to host large commercial marketplaces that allow for the transfer of firearms to purchasers without first initiating a background check to determine whether the buyers are prohibited under applicable state and/or federal law.

• HR 6639 Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership (Levin, MI). This bill will limit the unsupervised use of guns by minors, require firearms to be stored securely and provide grants to school districts to educate the community on the need for safe storage.

Full text of the letter is available here. 

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