Providing for Consideration of H.R. Protecting the Right to Organize Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Bipartisan Background Checks Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Enhanced Background Checks Act of and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Fischbach for yielding to me.

Madam Speaker, the rule before us today makes in order two pieces of legislation that this Chamber already considered last Congress. I am incredibly disappointed, yet once again, that we are considering legislation that makes it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights, but does nothing, nothing at all, to address the root cause of gun violence.

Despite what the majority claims, these bills would not have prevented any recent, high-profile mass shootings. These bills would not have prevented criminals from obtaining firearms. The overwhelming majority of criminals who commit crimes or are in possession of a firearm, they commit those crimes with firearms that were acquired through theft, the underground market, or straw purchases; and these are already illegal. Nothing in these bills would stop criminals from continuing to break the law.

Instead, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 would make it harder for domestic violence victims to protect themselves. It would give unelected bureaucrats the power to indefinitely delay legal gun purchases. It could even be used to create a national gun registry.

If you don't believe me, the Obama administration even said that universal background checks are unworkable unless you have a national registry. But let's just get back to the text.

As we pointed out last Congress, H.R. 8 is so poorly drafted that a transfer of a firearm to another person during a life-threatening emergency could land somebody in jail. That is how poorly this is drafted. So, again, these bills do nothing except penalize law-abiding citizens.

You know, I learned to shoot from my grandfather. I was very young and learned how to shoot in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Guns and firearms are very important to me and to a lot of my constituents. I can attest and I can assure you that the vast majority of gun owners are hardworking, law-abiding citizens looking to protect their families, looking to hunt and shoot with their friends.

But my colleagues on the left would be wise to just stop their grandstanding and focus on solutions that have been proven to work, like improving law enforcement coordination, increasing information sharing, and giving authorities more resources to actually prevent, deter, and prosecute firearm violence.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule, vote ``no'' on H.R. 8, and vote ``no'' on H.R. 1446.

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