Numerous responses were received by The Newtown Bee regarding the US House passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.

WASHINGTON, DC— The US House of Representatives approved on February 27 H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which requires a background check for every gun sold as well as most transfers.

Passage of H.R. 8 represents the first major Congressional action on gun violence in more than two decades, according to a release from the National Education Association (NEA). The House will also take up another bill, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019, H.R. 1112, which would extend the initial background review period from three to ten days. The NEA supports both bills.

“After decades of inaction, despite overwhelming public support for commonsense gun laws and, sadly, mass shootings that have become all too common, the House of Representatives took the first real, concrete step toward ending gun violence,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “The bipartisan bill on background checks for gun purchases offers more than ‘thoughts and prayers’ to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous individuals and, most importantly, keep students safer.

“While we welcome this timely, necessary legislation, we know that background checks are only the beginning,” Ms García continued. “We also need to expand the focus on mental health, establish more school-based health centers, and increase funding for educators’ professional development with programs to combat bullying, foster mental and behavioral health, and address related issues. In addition, Congress should provide funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence as a public health issue.”

She added later, “The US Senate should listen to the students, parents, and communities suffering from gun violence and take the actions necessary to protect us.”

NEA is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing nearly 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers, according to the association.

Senator Murphy

US Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday applauded the historic passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act in the US House of Representatives. Murphy introduced the Senate counterpart bill, the Background Checks Expansion Act. 97 percent of Americans support universal background checks. The House also passed the Enhanced Background Checks Act, a bill aimed at closing the “Charleston loophole” in the background check system that made it possible for the gunman in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church to purchase a firearm. Murphy delivered remarks on the floor of the Senate in support of the House vote on background checks and called on the Senate to hold hearings on gun violence prevention measures and pass his background checks bill.

“This is a historic day. The House today stood together to tell the gun lobby enough is enough,” said Murphy. “We are now just one step closer to this bill becoming law, and it would not have been possible if it weren’t for the tireless advocates all across America who have been working on this for years. Every American should be able to walk around their neighborhood or send their child off to school without the fear of someone, who under law should not have had access to a gun, opening fire.

“Too many families have had to lay their loved ones to rest due to senseless gun violence, and a lot of those deaths could have been prevented. Background checks save lives and are supported by 97 percent of Americans. I am very happy to see the House beginning the overdue process of fixing our gun laws. Now it’s time for the Senate to do the same,” Murphy continued.

Since his time in the Senate, Murphy has been a vocal critic of our nation’s gun laws. Earlier this week, Murphy held a national town hall with US Representative Lucy McBath (GA-6), gun violence survivors, and gun violence prevention experts, calling on Congress to take action on commonsense gun violence prevention measures.

Senator Blumenthal

US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following statement: “The families of Sandy Hook were in my heart and on my mind today as I watched the House take a historic step toward making America safer. This victory is powered by the tireless and inspiring advocacy of the millions across America whose lives and communities have been devastated by America’s gun violence epidemic. It is a clear sign that momentum is on the side of commonsense gun violence reform and the gun lobby’s grip on Congress is weakening. The American people are now watching the Senate. My colleagues must muster the conscience and conviction to follow the House’s lead — more excuses are unacceptable, and inaction would be unconscionable.”

Sandy Hook Promise

NEWTOWN— Sandy Hook Promise, a leading gun violence prevention organization whose families have been tirelessly advocating for the passage of expanded background checks since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012, released the following statement:

“For more than six years, Sandy Hook Promise has been working with Republicans and Democrats to pass expanded background checks as a necessary first legislative step to ensure that no more families have to experience the loss of a child to gun violence,” said Mark Barden, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. “Today, Congress has finally come together and taken action by passing this life-saving bill, but our work and theirs is far from over. We call on every Senator to simply do their job to protect our children from gun violence and pass universal background checks immediately. We cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Sandy Hook Promise has helped pass more than a dozen bipartisan laws to strengthen background checks and create Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Last year, Sandy Hook Promise proudly led the work to pass the bipartisan STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909/S. 2495) that is already helping to train millions of students and adults to “know the signs” of gun violence and how to act to prevent it, stopping potential tragedies across the country.

More than 5.5 million people have been trained in Sandy Hook Promise’s proven Know the Signs programs that focus on prevention to help end the epidemic of gun violence by training youth and adults on how to identify at-risk behavior and intervene to get help before a tragedy can occur. Through these no-cost signature programs, Sandy Hook Promise has averted multiple school shooting plots, several teen suicides, and countless other acts of violence.

Newtown Action Alliance

Po Murray, Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, released the following statement:

“We applaud and thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Mike Thompson and all members of the U.S. House of Representatives who championed and voted to pass H.R. 8, The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Yesterday’s historic vote was an important first step to reduce gun deaths and injuries throughout this nation.

We denounce the despicable partisan attempt by the NRA-funded members of the House of Representatives to block the passage of H.R. 8 by infecting the legislation with Donald Trump’s fake national emergency rhetoric. We will implore the Senate to support Senator Chris Murphy’s clean universal background check bill, S. 42 Background Check Expansion Act.

Yesterday’s vote was the first vote on gun control legislation in the House of Representatives since the Sandy Hook tragedy. Those of us living in Newtown and other communities directly and indirectly impacted by gun violence across this nation know too well that gun violence is the true national emergency. In 2017, 40,000 Americans were killed by guns, the highest level in 40 years, and more than 1,200 children were killed by guns since the Parkland tragedy.

Congress has not passed a single piece of substantive federal gun control legislation in 25 years. We are sick and tired of thoughts and prayers and inaction and we will no longer tolerate gun violence in America by making it very clear on our ballots in the coming years.

During the vote on H.R. 8 yesterday afternoon, we met with various Senators to discuss our list of 26 gun control measures that will reduce gun homicides, gun suicides, unintentional shootings, mass shootings and gun injuries. We will continue to encourage all Members of Congress to introduce and pass the following gun control policies:

*Background checks on all gun sales

*Close the Charleston loophole or “delayed denial” where federally licensed dealers can sell guns if three business days pass without a verdict from the FBI

*Restrict and penalize firearm possession by or transfer to a person subject to a domestic violence protection order or a person (including dating partners) convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor

*Prohibit firearm sale or transfer to and receipt or possession by an individual who has: (1) been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) received from any court an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence

*Mandatory waiting period for gun purchases

*Red flag/gun violence restraining order/extreme risk protection order to temporarily prohibit an individual deemed by a judge to pose a danger to self or others, from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition and allow law enforcement to remove any firearms or ammunition already in the individual’s possession

*Handgun permitting, licensing, training, and registration

*Ban bump-fire stocks and other dangerous accessories

*Ban future manufacture and sale of assault weapons, regulate existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act of 1934, and initiate a federal gun buyback program

*Limits on high capacity magazines

*Prohibit open carry

*Make gun trafficking a federal crime

*Repeal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to eliminate the corporate gun industry special protection from civil justice law that no other industry enjoys

*Fund government research on gun violence

*Child access prevention/safe storage requirement

*Provide resources for people with mental illness

*Microstamped code on each bullet that links it to a specific gun

*“Smart guns” with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or biometric recognition (fingerprint) capability

*Limit gun purchases to one gun per month to reduce trafficking and straw purchases

*Require licensing for ammunition dealers

*Enhance accountability of federally licensed firearms dealers

*Digitize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gun records

*Raise the minimum age for gun purchases to 21

*Ban 3D and ghost guns

*Prohibit guns in schools and college campuses

*Report lost and stolen guns.”