Letter to the Hon. Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader - Bring Up A Vote On A Bipartisan Package Of Common-sense Gun Safety Measures

Letter

Dear Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi:

Today, we write to urge that Congress take sensible action and enact bipartisan gun safety measures that have the potential to save lives and prevent guns from falling in the wrong hands. For far too long, countless families have been tragically torn apart by the horrors of gun violence that currently plagues our country. Parents should not live in fear of sending their children to school and worrying that their loved ones may not come back. Furthermore, our nation's police officers and law enforcement must have the necessary tools to be able to fulfill their mission and ensure public safety.

While we were grateful to see Congress assert Secretary Alex Azar's conclusion that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been and can continue to legally pursue research related to the causes of gun violence, we believe more action is necessary. Along with funding this research, there are various bipartisan proposals that have the potential to save lives, such as:

H.R. 4240, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, which would strengthen background checks that keep guns out of the wrong hands, like criminals and domestic abusers. Under the legislation, the current background system would be expanded to include enforceable background checks on all commercial gun sales--such as online purchases and through classified ads.

H.R. 2598, the Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) Act, which would encourage states to set up procedures for law enforcement and family members to petition local courts to temporarily disarm individuals whose actions demonstrate that they pose a danger to themselves or others while maintaining second amendment and due process protections. Currently, seven states (California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Vermont, Maryland and Delaware) have recently enacted GVRO laws while Indiana and Connecticut have similar laws to address this issue.

H.R. 5134, the STOP Straw Purchases Act, which would enhance punishments for straw purchases and crack down on illegal gun trafficking by imposing a kingpin penalty for those who enable gun trafficking enterprises across state lines. According to a 1997 Department of Justice survey, 8.4 percent of state prison inmates who used or possessed a firearm during the offense for which they convinced and incarcerated obtained the weapon from the illegal market.

H.R. 3207, the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abuser Act, which makes two commonsense updates to federal law to address existing loopholes that make it easy for perpetrators of dating violence and those convicted of misdemeanor stalking to legally access guns. While current federal law prohibits individuals convicted of domestic abuse--the definition does not protect dating partners.

These are common-sense solutions that have bipartisan support in Congress. We have seen too many lives lost to gun violence and stand ready to work with you to enact sensible measures to curb this deadly epidemic.

Sincerely,