Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, for far too long, Americans have grappled with the epidemic of gun violence that has taken lives and shattered families and communities in my home State of Michigan as well as all across the country.

These shootings and attacks not only cause unimaginable pain and grief for victims and their families but terrorize entire communities, who must cope with the lasting effects of unspeakable tragedy in their schools, in their theaters, houses of worship, and other public places.

There is no one easy solution to address this matter, but Americans deserve to feel safe where they live, where they work and learn and shop and pray; and these senseless acts of violence occur far too often.

From the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre of young students and school staff, to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Tree of Life synagogue shootings that killed Americans simply practicing their faith, to the deadly and hateful and heinous attacks at Pulse nightclub and a grocery store in Buffalo, gun violence has left no corner of our country untouched.

In Michigan, sadly, we know all too well the terror and the devastation caused by gun violence. Late last year, in Oxford, MI, a horrific shooting unfolded at Oxford High School. In a matter of just mere minutes, a routine school day at Oxford High turned into a scene of chaos and heartbreak when a gunman--a 15-year-old classmate--opened fire inside the school, taking four young lives and wounding seven other people. That attack forever changed the lives of the students, the teachers, staff, and shattered the assumption that schools are a safe haven.

Oxford High School students and the entire community have been resilient, but as they continued to process the shooting and to work to heal from it, those emotional wounds again reopened for many when they watched yet another horrific scene play out at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, where 19 young students and 2 teachers were murdered.

Schools are supposed to be a safe haven. Parents and family members should not live in fear that their children or their loved ones who are at work won't return home at the end of that school day. And while there is no single solution to end the gun violence epidemic, for far too long, partisan gridlock has prevented Congress from advancing commonsense legislation that can save lives.

For decades, politics have stood in the way of progress, and that is despite 90 percent of the American people--including a majority of Republican voters--supporting commonsense steps like expanding background checks. In today's partisan environment, it is tough to get consensus, but that just shows how much support there is to getting something done.

This should not be a partisan issue. We know that many responsible gun owners across our country support gun safety legislation. I am a gun owner. I enjoy hunting, as do so many in Michigan, and I know that we can pass measures to improve public safety while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.

After nearly three decades without major progress, we are on the verge--on the verge--of a significant breakthrough as we consider the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This legislation will take important steps to address gun violence, improve school safety, and increase mental health resources.

There is no question that this legislation could have included additional measures that are overwhelmingly supported by a majority of the American people, but this is still a significant step forward. We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This bill will help protect our children, our schools, and our communities.

And by passing this bill, we can make progress right now. Right now, with this legislation, we can strengthen background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people who simply should not have them. This includes providing critical support for red flag laws at the State level to ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals who a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or to others.

And right now, we can offer protections to victims of domestic violence by adding convicted abusers in dating relationships to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. And right now, we can crack down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements.

Right now, we can increase funding for school safety to institute safety measures in and around schools and support school violence prevention efforts. Right now, we can improve access to essential mental health care resources, which school safety advocates and violence prevention professionals agree is the key--the key--to providing an early opportunity for intervention--by investing in school-based health services to support those impacted by traumatic events.

I am grateful to my colleague Senator Stabenow, who has led the charge to ensure that legislation include proven, effective initiatives that will strengthen mental health services, and I urge my colleagues to work together to pass this legislation and encourage the House of Representatives to quickly--to quickly--do the same and send it to the President to be signed into law.

But know this: The bottom line is that our work to save lives and protect public safety must not end here. We must continue to come together and address this very real threat that is hurting communities all across our country. When we face difficult challenges and crises here in our country, we persevere because we ultimately come together as one. Let's channel this spirit and come together for every American before the next school, the next family, and the next community is shattered.

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