Dear Neighbor,

There have been 295 mass shootings in the United States this year alone and, like so many in our community, I have had enough. This is a full-blown national crisis, and for years I have been outspoken in raising the alarm and calling for solutions.

I have long advocated for the comprehensive ABC approach to gun violence legislation – reinstating the Assault weapons ban, mandating universal Background checks, and Closing the gun show loophole. Just last week, I introduced the Safe Homefront Act, a bipartisan proposal that would help ensure any U.S. servicemember with a felony-level domestic violence conviction cannot legally purchase firearms.

We know exactly what steps we must take to end this crisis. What’s been missing is the political will to take them. Now, with the new majority, the House has finally found its courage.

In February, the House passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. These bills would strengthen and expand the federal background checks system by finally closing the deadly loopholes that allow guns to fall into the wrong hands. This is common sense and will save lives. There is nothing radical about preventing criminals from owning firearms. Yet Mitch McConnell refuses to put these bills on the Senate floor for so much as a debate, let alone a vote.

Leader McConnell and Republicans in Congress may be comfortable twiddling their thumbs as thousands more are killed or injured by our gun violence epidemic, but House Democrats are not. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

That’s why, last week, my colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee debated and approved three additional gun safety bills that I have cosponsored and will enthusiastically support when they come before the full House:

1. The Keep Americans Safe Act would prevent the sale, transfer, or possession of any high-capacity magazine or other ammunition feeding devices that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. There is currently no federal law banning high-capacity magazines, but we know that states with similar bans in place experience significantly lower rates of mass shootings.

2. The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act uses federal grants to encourage states to pass “red flag” laws that allow family members and law enforcement to petition courts to temporarily remove guns from high-risk individuals. While only 17 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted red-flag laws, early research tell us that they have contributed to a reduction in suicides and mass shootings in these states.

3. The Disarm Hate Act would prevent the sale of firearms to individuals convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes. Many of the perpetrators of recent mass shootings have targeted minority communities and openly supported white supremacy. This kind of ugly, racist ideology won’t be rooted out and erased overnight. But we can, at the very least, deny its practitioners easy access to the deadly weapons they would use to act on their hatred.

The safety of our fellow Americans, especially innocent children, should not be a partisan issue. Please know that I will continue fighting for common sense gun safety protections.

Sincerely,
Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress
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