Dear Neighbor,

We are confronting a rising tide of gun violence across America, from Uvalde to Buffalo to countless communities across America. 

According to new CDC data, guns are now the number one killer of children and teens in America – more than car accidents or cancer.  Over the last two decades, more school-age children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active duty military combined. 

Enough.

This week, the House will vote on two life-saving pieces of gun violence prevention legislation. First, we will pass the bold and historic Protecting Our Kids Act, a package of widely supported legislation that will make an enormous difference in our fight against gun violence.

The Protecting Our Kids Act would:

• Raise the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old
• Crack down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets
• Subject ghost gun purchases to background check requirements
• Strengthen safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings
• Close the bump stock loophole to ban these deadly tools from civilian use
• Outlaw high-capacity magazines, which are designed for mass killing and have been the accessory of choice in the bloodiest mass shootings
• Require an annual report of demographic data of those being determined to be ineligible to purchase guns

We will also pass the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others by implementing a nationwide extreme risk law and encouraging states to enact their own extreme risk laws. States that have already adopted red flag laws like this one have found measurable success in keeping firearms out of the wrong hands.

In the coming weeks, the House will also take a few additional steps toward finally enacting sensible gun laws in America. We will bring to the floor the Active Shooter Alert Act to create an AMBER Alert-style notification during a mass shooting, a measure widely supported by law enforcement. And we will hold a hearing on legislation I am proud to cosponsor to reinstate the ban on assault weapons, a step Congress took decades ago that was proven to save lives and one that the American people support today.

Again and again, House Democrats have taken action to stop the bloodshed. Since we took the Majority in 2018, House Democrats have twice passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act. Together, these bills would secure universal background checks for all gun purchases – a policy supported by nearly nine in ten Americans.

Now, the Senate must join us in taking action.

Saving our children can and must be a unifying mission for our nation, and I will not rest until the job is done.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, and remember that my office is here to help. Be sure to visit my website for more information and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at (703) 256-3071.