Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, what a great day for the babies and--as the Speaker described it--the Trump-McConnell Supreme Court.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the House amendment to S. 2938. This bill could have had strong bipartisan support if it had focused solely on mental health and school safety. The Supreme Court made it clear yesterday that the Second Amendment includes the right to carry a gun for self-defense purposes outside the home.

This bill flies in the face of that ruling. Specifically, the bill fails to define what constitutes a willful violation that would warrant a revocation of a Federal firearm license. This is especially important given the Department of Justice's zero tolerance policy and the over 500 percent increase in license revocation proceedings that have occurred under this administration.

Current extreme risk protective orders that exist in 19 States do not come close to providing adequate due process protections. We cannot support the use of taxpayer funds to implement more such unconstitutional laws without specific and ironclad assurances that due process rights will be protected.

In the wake of the tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018, I worked with my colleagues in the Wisconsin legislature to protect against school shootings. We worked to pass Act 143 which appropriated $100 million in school safety grants. That is where this bill should be going.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to focus on bipartisan solutions that will not infringe on our constitutional rights.

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