Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson (CA-05) celebrated the passage of H.R. 8, his Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. The bill would expand background checks to be required on all firearm sales, closing the gun show and online sales loopholes. Thompson is a gun owner, hunter and supporter of the Second Amendment. He’s led the Task Force since it was established in 2012 after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. A statement from Thompson is below.
“Gun violence is devastating our communities. Every day, 30 people are killed by someone using a gun, a number that jumps to 100 if you factor in accidents and suicides involving guns. This impacts survivors, families, schools and communities in every corner of our nation and costs our county $280 billion each year. This status quo is unacceptable.
“That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to close the private gun sale loophole. Because background checks work and expanding them would only make more people safe from gun violence. We have 90 percent of the American people on our side and it’s Constitutional. Today, I’m proud to vote to pass H.R. 8 in the House to help prevent gun violence and keep our communities safe. This action is long overdue, and we owe it to the American people to get this bill enacted.”
You can click here(link is external) to watch Thompson’s remarks on the House floor in support of this bill. You can also follow this link to read the bill text and this link to read a section by section. Thompson’s legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.