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Introduced in House
January 3, 2021
Floor Debate
24 membersWhat members said about H.R. 13 on the floor
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Floor Debate
24 membersWhat members said about H.R. 13 on the floor
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. You know, our friends on the other side of the aisle are deadly wrong. That is the tragedy of their argument, because the Second Amendment does not…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
You know, our friends on the other side of the aisle are deadly wrong. That is the tragedy of their argument, because the Second Amendment does not prohibit regulation. It never did. And our Founding Fathers regulated guns as early as the beginning of this Nation.
And so I rise in support of H.R. 8, and indicate while the COVID-19 pandemic dominated news headlines in 2020, the number of shootings surged in many communities across America.
Our public health and emergency resources have been straining to recover from the coronavirus, and budgets are crunched nationwide, and, as well, gun violence is rising. It is important to note because approximately 80 percent of firearms used for criminal purposes are obtained without a background check.
We must strengthen our firearms background checks and close dangerous gaps, such as the online sale and gun show loopholes.
In the data that we were able to secure, there was nearly one mass shooting per day in the United States: 355 mass shootings in 2018. We realize that since December 2012 there have been at least 1,518 mass shootings with at least 1,715 people killed.
Each day an average of 92 Americans are victims of gun violence, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths. And I wonder why our friends could not feel the pain of the loss of guns being transferred illegally or improperly?
I was here for Columbine. That happened on April 20, 1999. High school students losing their lives. I was here when babies were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 12, 2012. I was here in the United States Congress each moment we tried to pass sensible gun legislation like H.R. 8.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Thompson for his leadership and Chairman Nadler.
On February 14, 2018 I was here for Parkland and looked at these photographs. And as well I was here on May 18 when in San Jose, Texas, people died. It is time to pass H.R. 8. Stop seeing our children die.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8, the ``Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021'' and H.R. 1446, the ``Enhanced Background Check Act of 2021,'' which would make it illegal for any person who is not a licensed firearm importer, manufacturer, or dealer to transfer a firearm to any other person who is not so licensed without a background check.
A 2013 study found that approximately 80 percent of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes were obtained from sources who were not required to run a background check, and that 96 percent of inmates who were not prohibited from possessing a firearm at the time they committed their crime obtained their gun this way.
This loophole exists largely because unlicensed sellers need not conduct any background check under current law, even if the seller sells a large number of guns.
Under H.R. 8, the ``Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021,'' individuals seeking to transfer a firearm under this measure would be required to visit a licensed firearms dealer to run the necessary background check before the transfer could be finalized.
H.R. 8 is intended to provide an accurate and speedy manner to ensure firearms do not end up in the wrong hands.
An internal assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) demonstrated that NICS background checks are approximately 99.3 percent to 99.8 percent accurate, and in 90 percent of cases, are processed within 90 seconds.
I am particularly pleased that the rule reported by Rules Committee makes in order Jackson Lee Amendment No. 12 to H.R. 8, which makes clear that a gun owner who realizes that he or she is at risk of suicide may transfer the gun to someone else, if the risk is imminent, without a background check to prevent self-harm.
The Jackson Lee Amendment will help ensure that no person who is experiencing a suicidal crisis will feel compelled to retain their gun when it would be better for them to temporarily transfer it to someone else.
Mr. Speaker, the American people are demanding effective action to reduce, if not prevent altogether, the countless mass shootings and gun violence in our country that continue to claim so many innocent lives.
Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention found firearm-related deaths rose for the second-straight year in 2016, largely due to spikes in gun violence.
In 2016, the new CDC report on preliminary mortality data shows that there were more than 38,000 gun-related deaths in the U.S.--4,000 more than 2015.
An Associated Press analysis of FBI data shows there were about 11,000 gun-related homicides in 2016, up from 9,600 in 2015.
Congress must act to keep our country safe through gun safety and violence deterrence.
There is nearly one mass shooting per day in the United States--355 mass shootings in 2018.
In December 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children, 6 adults, and himself.
Since December 2012, there have been at least 1,518 mass shootings, with at least 1,715 people killed and 6,089 wounded.
On the night of October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on a large crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, leaving 58 people dead and 527 injured.
And on November 5, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where the gunman, 26-year- old Devin Patrick Kelley, killed 26 and injured 20 others.
Every day, on average, 92 Americans are victims of gun violence, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths annually.
States with higher gun ownership rates have higher gun murder rates-- as much as 114 percent higher than other States.
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looking at 30 years of homicide data, found that for every 1 percent increase in a State's gun ownership rate, there is a nearly 1 percent increase in its firearm homicide rate.
Gun death rates are generally lower in States with restrictions such as safe storage requirements or assault weapons bans.
Mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 33 years: 0.
Because more than 75 percent of the weapons used in mass shootings between 1982 and 2012 were obtained legally, stronger legislation is needed to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands.
Mr. Speaker, enhancing the gun transfer background check system has consistently garnered broad public support, as high as 92 percent, because the American people know that the status quo is simply intolerable and action must be taken to reduce gun violence by keeping dangerous persons from obtaining deadly weapons.
That begins with passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021,'' and H.R. 1446, the ``Enhanced Background Check Act of 2021,'' and I urge all members to join me in voting for its passage.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8, the ``Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021,'' and urge its quick adoption.
While the COVID-19 pandemic dominated news headlines in 2020, the number of shootings surged in many communities across America.
Our public health and emergency resources have been straining to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Budgets are being crunched nationwide. Across the country, cities and states are struggling to find the resources to simultaneously address the pandemic and rising rates of gun violence.
We must take the steps that we know will make us safer.
Because approximately 80 percent of firearms used for criminal purposes are obtained without a background check, we must strengthen our firearms background check system and close dangerous gaps, such as the online sale and gun show loopholes.
Reducing gun violence starts with making sure that individuals who may not lawfully possess guns do not get their hands on them.
Our citizens overwhelmingly support this measure, and it is critical we pass it today and enact it into law.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
As indicated, the Jackson Lee amendment is a simple, important, and straightforward amendment, and it is, frankly, to save lives.
Specifically, the amendment makes clear that a gun owner who realizes that he or she is at risk of suicide may transfer the gun to someone else if the risk is imminent, without a background check, to prevent self-harm.
This amendment will help ensure that no person who is experiencing a suicidal crisis will feel compelled to retain their gun when it would be better for them to temporarily transfer it to someone else.
Contrary to what my friends on the other side have said, H.R. 8 does already exempt from the requirement of a background check ``a temporary transfer that is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, including harm to self, family, household members, or others, if the possession by the transferee lasts only as long as immediately necessary to prevent the imminent death or great bodily harm, including the harm of domestic violence, dating partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and domestic abuse.''
This amendment, however, clarifies that this last option is available to someone who is at risk for suicide.
I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment to protect those who may be a danger to themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Jackson Lee Amendment No. 9 included in the Chairman En Bloc Amendment to H.R. 8, the ``Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021,'' which would require a background check on every gun sale or transfer with limited exceptions, such as gifts to family members and transfers for hunting, target shooting, and self- defense.
The Jackson Lee Amendment No. 9 makes a simple common-sense improvement to the bill.
Specifically, the amendment makes clear that a gun owner who realizes that he or she is at risk of suicide may transfer the gun to someone else, if the risk is imminent, without a background check to prevent self-harm.
This amendment will help ensure that no person who is experiencing a suicidal crisis will feel compelled to retain their gun when it would be better for them to temporarily transfer it to someone else.
H.R. 8 already exempts from the requirement of a background check ``a temporary transfer that is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, including harm to self, family, household members, or others, if the possession by the transferee lasts only as long as immediately necessary to prevent the imminent death or great bodily harm, including the harm of domestic violence, dating partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and domestic abuse.''
A gun owner who realizes that they are at risk of suicide would have several options under this bill.
They may loan the gun to a family member pursuant to the family member exception.
They may ask a gun dealer to store the gun temporarily.
And if the risk is imminent, they may transfer it to someone else, pursuant to this exception.
This amendment clarifies that this last option is available to someone who is at risk for suicide.
As Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, I urge all members to join me in supporting Jackson Lee Amendment No. 9 by voting for the En Bloc Amendment to H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8 is a strong bill to expand the federal firearms background check requirement as our citizens have demanded. To make the bill even stronger, I offer an amendment that will help save even more lives.
My amendment would make clear that a gun owner who realizes that he or she is at risk of suicide may transfer the gun to someone else, without a background check--if the risk is imminent to prevent self- harm.
The largest number of gun deaths each year are suicides. Studies have shown that the prevalence of suicide in the United States is directly linked to the easy availability of guns.
Roughly sixty percent of gun deaths are suicides. Tragically, an average of 63 people, die by gun suicide every day in the U.S.
The notion that suicides are inevitable, that people will just find another way, is wrong.
Suicide attempts are often impulsive acts, and forty-eight percent of people harm themselves within 10 minutes of deciding to attempt suicide. Seventy-one percent do so within one hour.
But those who reach for a gun during suicidal crises rarely have a second chance. Eighty-four percent of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal. Think about this sad fact.
Temporarily reducing access to guns significantly increases the likelihood of surviving a suicide attempt.
That is why I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the bloc of amendments that includes my proposed revision to H.R. 8.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the chairman of our task force.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crist).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Lamb).
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, as has been said over and over again on the floor of the House, H.R. 8 provides for the legal access to guns. It does not take away guns from any American.
In addition, the Second Amendment is truly preserved with H.R. 8, and it is in compliance with the law which allows the regulation of guns, even with the Second Amendment.
We ask our colleagues to support H.R. 8 and the en bloc amendments included therein.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 188, I call up the bill (H.R. 8) to require a background check for every firearm sale, and ask for its immediate consideration. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous…
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 188, I call up the bill (H.R. 8) to require a background check for every firearm sale, and ask for its immediate consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 8.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, gun violence impacts all of our communities, and no place is immune from its reach, including our homes, our streets, our schools, and even our places of worship. That is why we must take swift and decisive action to reduce the daily toll of gun violence that afflicts our Nation. H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 is sensible and effective legislation to do just that.
Under current law, gun sales conducted by licensed firearms dealers may only be completed if the buyers clear background checks. This bill would simply extend that requirement, with limited exceptions, to guns transferred by unlicensed individuals as well. That simple change to close a gaping loophole in the law is one of the most effective steps we can take to address the scourge of gun violence in this country.
According to one study, 22 percent of gun owners in the U.S. acquired their most recent firearm without a background check. We do not know if they were felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, or otherwise prohibited under the law from possessing firearms. A huge volume of guns was sold with no questions asked. It is time to close this dangerous loophole.
There is no reason to continue to make it easy for people who are legally prohibited from possessing firearms to acquire them. The evidence clearly shows that background checks work and significantly curb gun violence. One study found that a Connecticut law requiring background checks was associated with a 40 percent decline in gun homicides and a 15 percent drop in suicides. On the other hand, when Missouri repealed its background check law, the State's gun homicides increased by 23 percent and suicides increased by 16 percent.
Gun violence of this magnitude is a distinctly American problem. A recent study in the American Journal of Medicine found that compared to 29 other high-income countries, the gun-related murder rate in the United States is 25 times higher. Even when you adjust for population differences, Americans are disproportionately killed by gun violence. This is a disparity that we can remedy by passing this bill.
With the exception of certain limited transfers, such as gifts to family members and transfers for hunting, target shooting, and self- defense, H.R. 8 would extend the current Federal background check requirement--which applies now only to licensed gun dealers--and would require virtually all transactions to undergo a background check to help ensure that firearms do not end up in the wrong hands.
I thank Representative Mike Thompson of California for drafting this important legislation and for being a champion of gun violence prevention in Congress.
Simply put, H.R. 8 will save lives. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to support safer streets, safer schools, and safer communities.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader of the House.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that 160 families every day buy guns. All this bill does is to say that people who obtain guns from unlicensed dealers, as well as licensed dealers, must be subject to the background check, and that will save a heck of a lot of lives.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).
Mr. Speaker, how much time remains?
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Levin).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Bowman).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time remains.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, since the House passed H.R. 8 more than 2 years ago, an estimated 80,000 people have lost their lives to gun violence. We have had too many moments of silence and too many expressions of sympathy. Too many families are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Expanding background checks is overwhelmingly supported by the American public because they know that it will make a meaningful difference in reducing gun violence and saving lives. It is time to enact this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, that is correct.
Amendments En Bloc Offered by Mr. Nadler of New York
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 188, I offer amendments en bloc.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 45 seconds.
Mr. Speaker, this en bloc amendment includes several amendments that strengthen the bill and that thoughtfully modify it to account for practical considerations surrounding the use and misuse of firearms.
Among this group are a provision that clarifies the exchange of firearms between family members, a measure to protect more expansive State firearm laws, an amendment that would ensure ATF background check forms are available in Spanish, and a proposal that would allow for temporary transfers for pest control.
Representative Jackson Lee's amendment concerning suicide is particularly important as it highlights the tragic consequences that access to firearms can have on those who intend to harm themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the en bloc amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, every day 30 people are killed by someone using a gun. That number jumps to 100 if you factor in accidents and suicides involving guns. The steady stream of gun violence devastates…
Mr. Speaker, every day 30 people are killed by someone using a gun. That number jumps to 100 if you factor in accidents and suicides involving guns. The steady stream of gun violence devastates families, communities, and schools.
Gun violence costs our country $280 billion every year. This status quo is not okay.
Our constituents know it, and they support H.R. 8 overwhelmingly.
The Special Order last night on H.R. 8 was another low point for decorum in the House. To be generous, it was an embarrassing display and a complete misrepresentation of the facts.
Viewers were told that the bill would create a Federal gun registry. Wrong. Read page 5, line 18. H.R. 8 prohibits any registry.
They were told you can't give a gun to a family member. Wrong. Read page 3, line 7. You can.
They were told that you can't transfer a gun if someone was suicidal or needed it for protection to address a self-defense situation. Wrong. Read page 3, line 21. You can.
They were told that you can't lend a gun to a friend to go hunting. Wrong. Read page 4, line 16. You can.
What the bill does do is close the private gun sale loophole, which has made it easy for felons and other prohibited purchasers to buy a gun online, at gun shows, or in person-to-person sales.
We know universal background checks work. Every day they stop some 160 felons and some 50 domestic abusers from buying a gun. Every day.
But without universal background checks, these people can take their business elsewhere, to someone without a Federal firearms license and buy the same gun.
I have personally filled out the 4473 form required to buy a gun from a licensed dealer. I have done it many times. It is something that every responsible gun owner should be able to live with. Heck, they should welcome it because it helps stop dangerous individuals from getting a gun.
In 90 percent of the cases, background checks are completed within minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that these letters that I have from dozens of gun violence prevention groups, healthcare workers, law enforcement, and others be included in the Record.
March 5, 2021.
Hon. Chuck Schumer,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Kevin McCarthy,
Republican Leader, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Speaker
Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy: We write to you in support of
H.R. 8/S. 529 the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R.
1446/S. 591 the Enhanced Background Checks Act. As gun
owners, we understand that responsible gun ownership starts
with background check. Loopholes in federal law have
perpetuated the gun violence crisis in our country, including
those in our background checks system. Congress must enact
meaningful legislation to reduce gun violence. The Bipartisan
Background Checks Act would close one such loophole by
ensuring that a background check happens on every firearms
sale.
Since 1993, the National Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS) has conducted firearm background checks on gun
purchasers. Federally licensed dealers must run a check
through NICS to determine whether a potential buyer is
prohibited from purchasing firearms. If information in NICS
shows that a person is indeed prohibited, the dealer must
deny the sale.
However, no background check is required for sales at gun
shows, through online marketplaces, or between private
individuals. Individuals who would otherwise be prohibited
from purchasing or possessing a gun can easily buy guns
through such unregulated sales. And the frequency of these
unregulated sales is growing: recent studies indicate that
approximately 22 percent of firearms are purchased without a
background check, up to 80% of firearms used in crimes are
obtained without a background check.
H.R. 8/S.B. 529 the Bipartisan Background Checks Act/
Background Check Expansion Act would require a background
check on every sale, ensuring that people prohibited from
purchasing firearms cannot exploit loopholes and purchase
guns through an unregulated sale at a gun show, online, or
from an unlicensed private seller. In addition, individuals
would no longer be able to cross state lines solely to
purchase a firearm in a state with less stringent background
checks. Closing these background check loopholes is critical
to reducing gun violence throughout the United States.
Additionally, H.R. 1446/S. 591 the Enhanced Background
Checks Act/Background Check Completion Act would provide the
FBI more time to complete background checks and ensure that
people prohibited from possessing firearms are not able to
obtain them by default because of an incomplete background
check. This deadly loophole in existing law was exploited by
a white supremacist who killed nine people at the Mother
Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
As responsible gun owners, we urge you to consider this
legislation which would help keep our communities safe. Our
support for universal background checks stems from our desire
to protect the Second Amendment rights of law abiding
citizens while maintaining checks and balances to keep
communities safe.
We urge you to pass H.R. 8/S. 529 the Bipartisan Background
Checks Act/Background Check Expansion Act and H.R. 1446/S.
591 the Enhanced Background Checks Act/Background Check
Completion Act, as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Giffords Gun Owners for Safety.
On this bill we have coauthors who are Democrats and Republicans, cops, hunters, gun owners, district attorneys, a former FBI agent, and veterans, who have served in combat and put their lives on the line to protect our Second Amendment.
There is bipartisan support for universal background checks in Congress and near universal support for background checks from the American people.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 8.
Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. What was just said on the floor is not accurate.
The only thing this bill does is require a background check. If someone has legally purchased a firearm and passed a background check, nobody is going to take that gun away from them. They legally purchased it. They passed the background check.
To come out with that kind of nonsense, that type of scare tactic, is not complementary to the decorum of this
House, and it does not speak to this bill.
Mr. Speaker, Democrats today want to introduce gun control legislation that they say is going to make you safer. They want to expand background checks. But what do background checks accomplish? Well,…
Mr. Speaker, Democrats today want to introduce gun control legislation that they say is going to make you safer. They want to expand background checks.
But what do background checks accomplish?
Well, the DOJ said there were 112,000 denials in a year.
Who were those 112,000 people?
Well, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have you think those were felons, they saved you from those felons.
But how many of those 112,000 were prosecuted for that crime of trying to acquire that gun?
According to the DOJ, 12--1-2--12 in a year.
Who were the other 100,000?
Imagine, just imagine now that you are the victim of an abusive relationship and after 5 years you have summoned the courage and the resources to separate from that relationship, but things have escalated and now you have decided that it is time to acquire the means to protect you and your children. So you go to the gun store and you try to buy a gun. The clerk presses the computer button, and it says ``denied.''
You ask the clerk, ``Why was it denied?''
The clerk says, ``I don't know. This happens sometimes. Maybe you had a similar name to somebody else in the database.''
You can't buy a gun today, tomorrow, next week. Not ever. You have
been denied. So you go to a friend you have known for a long time. Your friend says, ``I would like to help you.''
You say, ``Well, I don't know if I am going to make it through the night.''
Your friend says, ``I would like to help you, but don't you know H.R. 8 passed and it was signed by the President. I can't spend a year in a cage. Good luck tonight.''
Mr. Speaker, now, I am not going to ask you to imagine what happens next because the Democrats saw fit to put into this bill a requirement that you have an imminent threat of death. The threat has to be right there upon you or great bodily harm.
What do they say?
Well, if you are just expecting a few bruises and maybe a punch, put some ice on it.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask my colleagues here today and I am going to challenge the sponsors of this bill and those of them who might think they would vote for this bill to consider whether it is fair.
Is it fair to surround yourself with armed guards, with Capitol Hill Police who have guns, with personal details, bodyguards, and ask the people to pay for it when you make it harder for those same people to protect themselves?
I don't think that is fair.
And for the fact checkers who are already hard at work on this speech, I include in the Record this GAO report on the DOJ statistics on background checks.
[From the United States Government Accountability Office, Sept. 2018]
Report to the Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, House of
Representatives
Law Enforcement--Few Individuals Denied Firearms Purchases Are
Prosecuted and ATF Should Assess Use of Warning Notices in Lieu of
Prosecutions
why gao did this study
In 2017, approximately 25.6 million firearm-related
background checks were processed through NICS, and about
181,000 of the attempted purchases at the federal and state
levels combined were denied because the individual was
prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal or state
law. Individuals who certify that they are not prohibited
from purchasing or receiving a firearm and are subsequently
determined to be prohibited could be subject to
investigation, and if prosecuted, a fine, imprisonment, or
both.
GAO was asked to examine firearms denials. This report (1)
describes the extent to which federal and selected state law
enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute firearms
denial cases; (2) examines related challenges faced by these
agencies; and (3) describes the circumstances that lead to
investigations and prosecutions. GAO reviewed laws and
regulations; analyzed federal and state data from 2011
through 2017; and interviewed officials from ATF
headquarters, 6 of 25 ATF field divisions (the 6 that
investigated the most cases), and the 13 states that process
all NICS checks within their state. Results from state
interviews are not generalizable but provide insights on
state practices.
what gao recommends
GAO recommends that ATF assess the extent to which ATF
field divisions use warning notifications as an enforcement
tool, which would inform whether changes to policy are
needed. DOJ concurred with GAO's recommendation.
what gao found
Investigations and prosecutions. Federal and selected state
law enforcement agencies that process firearm-related
background checks through the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) collectively investigate and
prosecute a small percentage of individuals who falsify
information on a firearms form (e.g., do not disclose a
felony conviction) and are denied a purchase. Federal NICS
checks resulted in about 112,000 denied transactions in
fiscal year) 2017, of which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF) referred about 12,700 to its
field divisions for further investigation. U.S. Attorney's
Offices (USAO) had prosecuted 12 of these cases as of June
2018.
Mr. Speaker, I have a brief point to make. I wonder how my colleagues on the other side of the aisle hold two thoughts in contradiction simultaneously in their minds. They say that photo IDs and excessive registration paperwork and whatnot disenfranchises disproportionately minorities and the poor when they go to exercise their right to vote. But today with H.R. 8 and the next bill that is coming up, they are doing exactly that. They are causing there to be increased fees, increased paperwork, and more photo IDs.
How does that not disenfranchise not just all Americans but disproportionately minorities and the poor?
Mr. Speaker, I leave that to my colleagues to answer today.
Mr. Speaker, well, that is an interesting speech to follow. Mr. Massie was very energized. I haven't seen, of course, that which he submitted for the Record, but 90 percent of America thinks this…
Mr. Speaker, well, that is an interesting speech to follow. Mr. Massie was very energized. I haven't seen, of course, that which he submitted for the Record, but 90 percent of America thinks this bill makes sense, 90 percent. Take your own polls. Poll after poll after poll shows overwhelming support of this legislation because it is common sense. It is common sense that you want to assure the community that those who buy weapons that can be used with deadly force, as the gentleman just indicated, are not a danger to themselves or to others.
Mr. Speaker, according to the database from the Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University that tracks mass shootings, which they define as four or more victims, not including the shooter, 2020 was a standout year. After years of setting new records for mass shootings, 2019 had the highest number recorded, 33 mass shootings in one year. But in 2020, there were only two mass shootings: one in February and another in early March.
Of course, Mr. Speaker, those numbers don't count the hundreds of shootings each year in which there are fewer than four victims, with tens of thousands killed or maimed by gun violence annually. The contrast in the number of mass shootings from 2019 to 2020 is stark.
Mr. Speaker, I don't have to explain to my colleagues why mass shootings suddenly came to a halt last year, but it shouldn't take a deadly viral pandemic--which took us out of group meetings, which took us off the streets, which kept us at home--to stop a deadly epidemic of gun violence.
With the arrival of vaccines and passage of President Biden's plan to help make it safe to reopen businesses and schools, we will soon be gathering in groups once more, but nobody wants to see a return to mass shootings, Mr. Speaker. Nobody wants to see a return to deadly school shootings that terrorize America's students.
We shouldn't need a pandemic to reduce gun violence in this country. The way to do that ought to be through passing commonsense gun safety legislation through Congress to make it harder for deadly firearms to get into the hands of those who cannot bear them responsibly. That is what H.R. 8,
the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, would do.
Nine out of 10 Americans support the reforms in this bill. Now, I know I have seen some people, Mr. Speaker, shake their head, no, no, that is not the case. Show me a poll that has less than 80 percent of Americans thinking that terrorists should not be able to buy guns, that felons should not be able to buy guns, that domestic abusers should not buy guns, particularly in an accelerated way. You get mad at a partner, you get mad at a girlfriend, a boyfriend, whatever, go down to the store, boy, get a gun, bang.
It is one thing to have a thoughtful purchase: I want to have a hunting gun; I want to have a handgun for target practice; I want a handgun for safety in my home, in my business, in my car. But if you are a person who has shown that you are not somebody who is a responsible person--sort of like driving a car, if you are not responsible, you are a reckless driver and you have been guilty of manslaughter by automobile or something of that nature--people have a right to know that what you do is going to be not a danger to them.
This is one of the greatest examples of legislation that truly reflects the will of the American people. That is why I hope we can come together to pass it with bipartisan support. I don't know that that is going to be the case. But if it is not the case, it will not reflect the will of the American people who would like to see this on a bipartisan basis. Republicans and Democrats polled support this legislation.
Now, if somebody wants to show me a poll that says, no, that is not the case, that is one thing, but I haven't seen a poll that doesn't reflect that. Just as I believe we ought to do this week with Representative Clyburn's bill as well, which could close the loophole that contributed to the reprehensible and racially motivated mass shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Nine people in church slain by somebody who got a gun; who, if the report had come back in a timely fashion, wouldn't have been able to get that gun.
I hope that Senate Republicans will not filibuster this bill. At some point in time the majority ought to rule.
Now, the Second Amendment correctly protects gun ownership. I don't have an argument with that. But the Supreme Court itself said that there could be responsible restraints and items for protection consistent with that amendment. That is what this bill does.
I hope our friends will listen to the voices of parents, children, siblings, spouses, neighbors, and friends of those who were killed by gun violence in recent years; and I hope they will remember the names that bring tears to many eyes and pain in so many hearts. Parkland. Some believe Parkland didn't happen. They are wrong, of course. Sandy Hook; Charleston; Las Vegas; Orlando; Pittsburgh; Annapolis; San Bernardino; Washington Navy Yard, just a few blocks from here; Oak Creek; Tucson; Virginia Tech; and the list could go on and on and on.
I say to the ladies and gentlemen of the House, let's not add more names to this register of grief. Let's not rely on a pandemic to do what we ought to have done so long ago. Let's pass these bills and reduce gun violence the right way, with our votes.
Is this a perfect bill? Will it establish or accomplish the absolute safety?
It will not, but what 90 percent of Americans say is that it is a step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, let us take that step.
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Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Massie), the co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus. Mr. Speaker, no, it doesn't. The previous speaker said when…
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Massie), the co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, no, it doesn't. The previous speaker said when this bill becomes law, it will stop some of the mass shootings-- all of the mass shootings that happen in this country. No, it won't. Nothing in this bill would prohibit, would have stopped any of those terrible things that took place.
What this bill does is stop law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment liberties, just as the gentleman from Kentucky mentioned a few minutes ago.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert), the co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, the previous speaker talked about the increase in violent crime in her neighborhood last year. Maybe if Democrats actively supported our police and not
supported defund the police, maybe that wouldn't be the case.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).
Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy) an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Budd).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).
I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Massie).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).
Mr. Speaker, the previous speaker talked about Chicago's strictest gun laws in the country, but yet there was a record number of shootings and crime last year.
What could be the cause of that?
Maybe it is the fact they defunded their police, something we have talked about now, well, since the Democrats started doing it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden).
Mr. Speaker, can I inquire how much time we have remaining?
Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds).
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I think part of the point of the gentleman from Pennsylvania was this system is a mess. Over 110,000 people were denied access to a firearm when they went through the background check, but only 12 were prosecuted. Mr. Massie led off our debate by talking about this one. That tells you one or two things.
I think the main takeaway is, how many people were falsely denied? Or if they weren't, why weren't more people prosecuted?
If the focus is to make sure the bad guy doesn't get the gun, holy cow, over 110,000 were denied access to a firearm, not given a clearance. Yet only 12 prosecuted?
If you guys want to work with us on that issue, we are happy to do that. In fact, we have supported that and talked about that, but you don't want to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, we can say we are opposed to the en bloc amendments for all of the reasons we have cited now in the last hour and a half on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
Mr. Speaker, just yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock in Atlanta, an armed robber walked into Chick-fil-A to rob the place. Now, think about that. You are in there with your children, getting a meal in…
Mr. Speaker, just yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock in Atlanta, an armed robber walked into Chick-fil-A to rob the place.
Now, think about that. You are in there with your children, getting a meal in the middle of the day, and somebody comes in with a gun, puts your life at risk. Everybody in the place is at risk.
Did that guy get a background check to get his firearm? We don't know yet, but odds are he didn't because most of these crimes that are committed with a gun are with people who don't--guess what? I have a news flash--they don't follow the law.
Robbing the Chick-fil-A at 3 o'clock in the afternoon in Atlanta is not in accordance with the law. But I will tell you what happened. An armed citizen stopped the robbery using his firearm, a legally obtained firearm, and saved everybody in the place.
Do you know who is happy? The people in the Chick-fil-A are happy that the guy who bought the gun legally was there to save them and their children. That is who is happy.
This legislation, Mr. Speaker, disarms that person who operated his firearm legally. That is what this legislation does. It disarms America. It says to the criminal: Keep on not abiding by the law. You got your weapon illegally. You are going to keep doing it.
It doesn't stop them from doing anything. What it does do is it stops the guy who is going to get his firearm legally and end the crime in his community. That is who it stops.
No charges are pending on that individual in Atlanta who stopped that crime. No charges are pending. He followed the law.
This bill, Mr. Speaker, seeks to punish people who want to follow the law, and that is what is going to happen.
Do you know what is going to happen when we do this? There are going to be more crimes. There are going to be more unauthorized weapons out there, and there are going to be less people out there defending themselves and our community. That is what is happening.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this.
Mr. Speaker, we lament the death of our good friend, Mr. Crist's constituent, Mo. We lament it. We especially lament it because when you are in the military and you are on base and you are in uniform, you are prohibited from carrying a firearm. Think about that. Those in our country most well trained to use a firearm lose their lives because they cannot defend themselves, as a regulation by the DOD that says they cannot carry a firearm on base. That is why Mo is not here.
Sure, there is a Saudi terrorist in town that is killing people, but Mo could have stopped that if Mo were allowed to use his skills provided by the taxpayers and desired by him. He wanted to serve his country, he wanted to serve his community, and he should have been allowed to.
This bill is more of the same thing, disallowing American citizens to defend themselves. Unfortunately, Mo is a prime example.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8 as well as H.R. 1446. There is not a single Member in this Chamber who does not mourn the…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8 as well as H.R. 1446.
There is not a single Member in this Chamber who does not mourn the innocent lives lost to gun violence, but I solemnly believe that my Democratic colleagues lack a fundamental understanding of this issue.
I have worked as a surgeon who has done pelvic trauma for close to 30 years. In fact, I will submit that I am the only Member of this Chamber who has ever operated on a gunshot victim. The infinite majority of gunshot victims are shot by criminals who have obtained their guns illegally. They did not apply for permits. They are not a member of the NRA. They are criminals. These bills would do nothing to keep the guns out of their hands.
In all my years as a surgeon, I have yet to see a gun jump up by itself and injure someone. It is either from a crime, a mental illness, or tragically from an accident. Where I live in eastern North Carolina, it is certainly different from New York City, the gun haven of Chicago, or Oakland, but we still have our share of drug-related and gang- related crime.
On the other hand, we have a lot of wilderness that people back home, adults and children, still enjoy hunting. These law-abiding citizens should not have their rights trampled upon. We are all saddened by the loss of life from mass shootings, but, Mr. Speaker, the issue is not the gun itself, but the mental illness borne by the gun holder. A mentally stable person does not shoot innocent people.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 absurdly hamper people's ability to exercise their constitutional right to defend themselves. This sort of broad government overreach does not save lives, but treats everyday law-abiding citizens like criminals.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on these bills. We should not support bills that place the rights of violent criminals above those law-abiding American citizens.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446. In this last week I received over 1,000 emails from constituents in strong opposition to these antigun bills. Here is a sample: ``H.R.…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446.
In this last week I received over 1,000 emails from constituents in strong opposition to these antigun bills. Here is a sample:
``H.R. 8 will make it impossible to sell or loan guns to my relatives and trusted friends.''
``These bills appear designed to impose restrictions on natural rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.''
And finally, ``Stand for our rights and oppose these measures with every tool in your grasp.''
I absolutely will fight these measures with every tool in my grasp. These rights protect my life, liberty, and property granted to me by God and cannot be taken away from me by D.C. bureaucrats.
I grew up in the Deep South at a time when Black Americans were unable to defend themselves. After the Civil War, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws prohibited people of color from owning firearms.
In the mid-1950s, Martin Luther King, Jr., kept firearms for self- protection, but his application for a concealed weapon permit was denied because of racist gun control laws in his State.
As a child, my dad witnessed an altercation between his father and a southern White man who thought my grandfather was being disrespectful and threatened to teach him a lesson. Later that night he drove up to my grandfather's home with a bunch of his friends standing on the forerunner of a Model T Ford.
My grandfather was prepared. He and his brothers had hidden around his front porch. As these bullies and cowards approached the house, they heard the click of rifles and left just as fast as they came.
Without ever firing his gun on another human being, my grandfather's right to own a firearm ensured his rights to protect his life, liberty, and property.
I urge my colleagues to vote against these anti-Second Amendment bills.
Mr. Speaker, enough is enough, which is why I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 8 and to offer a motion to recommit the bill. This bill is nothing more than a coordinated effort by the authoritarian…
Mr. Speaker, enough is enough, which is why I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 8 and to offer a motion to recommit the bill.
This bill is nothing more than a coordinated effort by the authoritarian left to strip away the constitutional rights guaranteed to Americans by the Second Amendment.
Instead of criminalizing the innocent actions of law-abiding gun owners, American citizens, we should be focused on stopping real crime in our local communities and enforcing the laws that are already on the books.
One way we can do that is by ensuring that ICE is notified when unlawful aliens attempt to purchase a firearm illegally. The FBI reported just last month that NICS had over 10 million people listed as an illegal alien. In fact, this ranks as the number one prohibited category in the FBI's NICS Indices.
Since 1998, over 28,000 illegal aliens have been denied a firearm after failing a NICS check. With over 2,700 in 2019 alone, this means over 28,000 criminals have been allowed to stay in the United States when ICE should have been alerted about their criminal act but were not.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8 fails to do anything to prevent crime, which is why I am offering this motion to recommit, so our Nation's laws are enforced. And if you will recall, this MTR passed in 2019 with a strong bipartisan majority.
Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on the Judiciary to consider my amendment to H.R. 8 to ensure that the FBI alerts ICE anytime an illegal alien is denied a firearm because of NICS.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a Texan, a constitutional conservative, and in strong opposition not only to the amendments but to H.R. 8, a bill that would impose so-called universal background checks…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a Texan, a constitutional conservative, and in strong opposition not only to the amendments but to H.R. 8, a bill that would impose so-called universal background checks and gut the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners throughout this country.
We all mourn the loss of innocent lives from gun violence that has happened in my district and in those around the country. No family should ever have to endure such tragic and terrible unnecessary loss.
But the truth is that this legislation does nothing to address the root causes of gun violence and may do little to actually prevent criminals from obtaining guns, as has previously been said during this debate.
What will be prevented, though? Your ability to lend your neighbor a
firearm if there are reports of break-ins; the ability of your suicidal friend or family member to ask you to remove their firearms from their home; or if a colleague comes to you and says that they are trapped in an abusive relationship and scared for their life, you could face a $100,000 fine or prison time for lending out your gun for self-defense.
If we are going to effect real change, we don't need to tack additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens. We need to look at the root causes and have a transparent and open debate here to talk about mental health and the proper enforcement of laws that we already have.
This is yet another example of Federal overreach, another example of the erosion of our rights, and a slippery slope that will strip all Americans of our Second Amendment rights as outlined in the Constitution.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment and the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the legislation we are considering today. In cities across America, violent crime has increased; and in cities across America, laws already exist to severely…
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the legislation we are considering today.
In cities across America, violent crime has increased; and in cities across America, laws already exist to severely punish violent criminals. But despite this, we are seeing local elected officials, district attorneys, and prosecutors refuse to enforce existing laws and police who are continuously held back from doing their jobs.
Instead of offering real solutions to improve public safety, it seems the majority is determined to punish law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to actually close loopholes in the system.
If the bills we are considering were really stopping gun crimes and violent offenders from owning guns, then my amendment would be one we are discussing today, to prevent minors aged 15 to 17 who have committed violent crimes from having their records expunged and thereby able to purchase a firearm.
But rather than take up my amendment to prevent felons from sidestepping our laws, the majority felt it more critical for public safety to expand background checks to ranchers and farmers with pest control issues. This is absurd.
Nothing in H.R. 1446 or H.R. 8 would prevent those seeking to harm others from acquiring firearms. The people of my district deserve better than this, which is why I will be introducing legislation that will actually prevent violent criminals from clearing their record.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and side with law-abiding Americans and side with those of us who want to take guns out of the hands of violent criminals.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that I have been a committed defender of the Second Amendment since being elected to Congress back in 1994. For me, that means that I will do everything that I possibly…
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that I have been a committed defender of the Second Amendment since being elected to Congress back in 1994. For me, that means that I will do everything that I possibly can to ensure that the rights of Americans, as they relate to the Second Amendment, are protected, while at the same time
working to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and mentally unstable individuals.
H.R. 8, unfortunately, doesn't accomplish either of those goals. It is overburdensome, unreasonable, and, if passed, would instead keep firearms out of the hands of some hardworking and law-abiding citizens.
Yesterday, at the Rules Committee, I offered an amendment which would allow for the transfer of a firearm to museums or historical displays without going through the burdensome requirements of this measure, but that eminently reasonable amendment and others offered by my colleagues were flatly rejected by the majority.
During this afternoon's debate, we have again expressed several concerns which will not be addressed or considered by the majority. Instead of focusing on improving the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System, or NICS, providing resources to assist those with mental illnesses or hardening soft targets like schools and places of worship, the majority will pass this legislation and attempt to further infringe on the Second Amendment rights of our constituents. That is very, very unfortunate.
Mr. Speaker, for those reasons, I stand in opposition to this deeply flawed legislation.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the last 2 weeks, the majority has attacked the First Amendment, and now they are attacking the Second Amendment. H.R. 8 will not save…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, the last 2 weeks, the majority has attacked the First Amendment, and now they are attacking the Second Amendment.
H.R. 8 will not save lives. As Justice Scalia noted in his decision in Heller, the Second Amendment does not give Americans a right; it protects a preexisting right, and that right shall not be infringed.
H.R. 8 would not have prevented recent shootings. In Parkland, the shooter acquired the firearm legally from an FFL after undergoing a NICS check. The same thing in Sutherland Springs, Texas; the same in Las Vegas, Nevada; and the same in Orlando. I could go on because the list would produce the same result. They got their guns after a background check, including in El Paso.
Criminals who seek to do harm get guns regardless of the new restrictions imposed by H.R. 8. And with very limited exceptions, H.R. 8 makes it illegal for Americans to get a gun if a nonlicensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer is not involved. How will the government know if an illegal transfer occurs? Without a registry, this bill is unenforceable.
Mr. Speaker, I have heard supporters of this bill say that other countries have similar restrictions so we should, too. I counter with the fact that other countries do not have the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was included to ensure that the United States would be different than other countries.
Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, right now in south Texas there are American citizens whose lives are in danger because of wide open borders as a direct result…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, right now in south Texas there are American citizens whose lives are in danger because of wide open borders as a direct result of Biden's border crisis and the policies of the Democratic leadership of this body and the Senate. American citizens are unsafe. I am not making that up.
For the last 2 years, I have heard my Democratic colleagues talking about a fake crisis at our border. There is nothing fake about 100,000 people coming across our border; or high-speed chases through Uvalde, Texas; or high-speed chases in Real County, which I represent. There is nothing fake about break-ins putting lives in danger.
People own ranches, and now my Democratic colleagues, after defunding the police and opening up our borders,
want to take away our God-given right--yes, God-given right--to defend ourselves under the Second Amendment. That is what this is about. This is about creating a gun registry to track guns of the American people. There is no way to implement what the Democrats are trying to implement without doing that.
I can just tell you straight up, Texans, Americans, the Government is never going to know what weapons I own. Let me be clear about that. It is not going to happen. We have a God-given right to defend our families, defend our State, and defend ourselves against tyranny; and we will do that regardless of the errant policies that this Democratic Congress is trying to jam through.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Jim Jordan, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I was raised in a Democrat home, so I understand how these policies are deceiving. I understand that we are told guns…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Jim Jordan, for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I was raised in a Democrat home, so I understand how these policies are deceiving. I understand that we are told guns are scary. That is what we were told, and that is what we believed, because we trusted the people who we voted for. But just as with most things in life, I grew up and learned that there is a better way to live. I was ignorant to firearms and the proper use of them.
Mr. Speaker, when I became a business owner, I needed to protect myself. There was an altercation outside of my restaurant, where a man was physically beat to death. There were no weapons involved. He was beaten to death by another man's hands.
I have a lot of young girls who work in my restaurant, and we needed an equalizer. I am 5 feet tall. I weigh barely 100 pounds. I need something against a stronger potential aggressor to defend myself with.
Talk about women's rights. Don't take my right away to protect myself.
I mean, seriously, what are we doing here? I ask the supporters of this legislation, who do you think you are to disarm Americans and leave them vulnerable without help?
You want to defund our police and yet leave us without a way to protect ourselves.
Our Founding Fathers gave us a list of items. They said don't touch these things. And I am telling you, keep your hands off of our Second Amendment.
Mr. Speaker, gun crime in the United States is a tragedy for us all. I heard the talk about Sandy Hook, about Columbine, and, yes, about Parkland, which happened in my State. It is a tragedy that we…
Mr. Speaker, gun crime in the United States is a tragedy for us all. I heard the talk about Sandy Hook, about Columbine, and, yes, about Parkland, which happened in my State. It is a tragedy that we all face.
But the one thing, Mr. Speaker, we all have to remember is that, in each one of these instances, the person who acquired the firearm that committed this tragedy acquired it lawfully, or they stole the weapons from somebody else. This bill would not change any of those tragedies.
If anything, what this bill does, it puts more burden on law-abiding Americans and does whittle away and strip their constitutional right to bear arms. You see, the issue is much more about mental health than it is about the ability to acquire firearms.
For this body to unilaterally make it significantly more difficult for a law-abiding citizen to acquire a firearm, which is their constitutional, God-given right, is this body acting outside of its authority under the United States Constitution.
Mr. Speaker, in short, this bill will not fix the tragedies that we face. Unfortunately, laws don't fix most of the tragedies that we face as Americans. What fixes them is dealing with the human condition that, unfortunately, inhabits people in our country. We should be working on that, not stripping the constitutional rights from our fellow citizens.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the fundamental truth is that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms to protect…
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, the fundamental truth is that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their loved ones.
America's Founders spoke on this issue extensively. Benjamin Franklin warned that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin was right. The American tradition of self-reliance, self- determination, and self-defense has been fierce. It has been what makes this country so exceptional and so great.
Today, the House will vote on legislation that would undermine that very right. What is worse is that both of these bills would not have prevented mass shootings or tragedies across this Nation. Those are awful events. We all agree that those events are awful. But in those cases, the criminal either passed a background check or they stole their weapons.
We cannot sacrifice our rights by passing laws that will make our families less safe and laws that criminals will simply ignore. We must always protect and preserve our God-given Second Amendment right.
Mr. Speaker, point of order. I would request that the colleague from Virginia direct his remarks to you and not to other colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. This common-sense legislation would save lives in every state, every congressional district, and every…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. This common-sense legislation would save lives in every state, every congressional district, and every community, by preventing guns from being sold to people who are dangers to themselves or others.
If this is truly ``The People's House'' then we MUST pass H.R. 8 for the safety and protection of all people. Enough is enough. Too many times innocent lives have been lost to guns in the hands of people wishing to do harm. That's why 93 percent of Americans support requiring universal background checks on all gun sales. The people know: background checks work.
By preventing guns from falling into the hands of people with mental illness or criminal history. Last year was a particularly tragic year for the Fifth District, with 177 lives ended at the barrel of a gun. My heart breaks knowing there have already been 25 gun-related deaths in my District this year. As I speak today, I am remembering Kennedy Maxie. A sweet, seven-year-old Black girl shot and killed in Atlanta while Christmas shopping with her family last December. She was an innocent victim, killed by someone who had no business with a gun.
The tragedies are too many, and the gun violence too frequent. It's past time we did something.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Ohio for yielding. Look, bottom line is, we all know that by definition criminals don't abide by the law. And that applies also when they are purchasing…
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Ohio for yielding.
Look, bottom line is, we all know that by definition criminals don't abide by the law. And that applies also when they are purchasing firearms. Nothing in this bill prohibits this type of individual from obtaining firearms.
In fact, the majority of individuals in prison for committing crimes with firearms obtain their firearms through theft, the underground market, family members, and the like.
But what this bill does is threaten everyday American citizens with up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for exercising their Second Amendment right in doing common practices.
To say that this does not create a national gun registry, you cannot accomplish what is in this bill without a gun registry.
The reality is universal background checks do not stop mass shootings. We do not have mass shootings because of lack of background checks. This bill will not make our communities safer. In fact, what it will do is cause law-abiding citizens to lose more of their Second Amendment rights.
We shouldn't be focused here in Congress in taking those rights away. We actually should be strengthening the enforcement of laws we already have to make our communities safer.
I stand with the Constitution and urge my colleagues to vote against
Mr. Speaker, we have been told that 90 percent of Americans support this bill. Well, that is because 99.99 percent of Americans have not read this bill. And we are told, yet again, that this will…
Mr. Speaker, we have been told that 90 percent of Americans support this bill. Well, that is because 99.99 percent of Americans have not read this bill.
And we are told, yet again, that this will save lives. And, yet, there is not one single mass killing that has been brought up here today that would have been prevented by this bill.
And yet over and over we have people come in here, usually they mean well; look, this will protect people when the fact is that they can't point to any of these mass killings they talk about that would have been prevented.
So let's talk about lives that would be saved. Think about the people that are shot every day and would their situation be different if they were not finding it so difficult to legally get a gun?
I mean, we had thousands of felony cases that came through my court, and we tried a lot of those cases. Over and over you hear, the criminals are not obeying the law. They are not going to follow the law. They got their guns illegally. And this will not change at all any of those people we tried and convicted for getting guns. They steal them. They buy them from other people that stole them. They don't obey the law. That is why they are criminals. So quit penalizing the American people.
Mr. Speaker, one more time we see people uncomfortable with our Constitution. Our forefathers gave us the right to bear arms because they wanted law-abiding people to have the right to defend…
Mr. Speaker, one more time we see people uncomfortable with our Constitution. Our forefathers gave us the right to bear arms because they wanted law-abiding people to have the right to defend themselves.
Until Ferguson and the rise of the antipolice movement about 5 years ago, the murder rate in this country fell by over one-half between the early 1990s and around 2014.
What happened at that time?
We whipped up some antipolice hysteria, and since that time things have gone wildly up. Now the majority party introduces a cache of bills designed to make it more difficult for law-abiding people to access a weapon while not having any impact on people who wouldn't obey the laws anyway.
They don't like the idea of private transfers. They don't like the idea of being able to get a gun in less than 10 days. They don't like the idea that if the government doesn't give the proper information over--well, apparently, they like the idea that they want to keep people from getting guns if the government, for whatever reason, is slow in turning things over.
In any event, let's go back to the things that worked for 25 years before the rise of the antipolice movement if we really want to see improvement.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again, Democratic leadership is proposing legislation that would do nothing to prevent criminals from accessing firearms…
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Ohio for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, once again, Democratic leadership is proposing legislation that would do nothing to prevent criminals from accessing firearms while greatly restricting the Second Amendment rights of law- abiding citizens.
These bills are being sold to the public as an effort to pass universal background checks. But House Democrats fail to recognize that every commercial gun sale in the United States already has a background check.
Mr. Speaker, ending gun violence in America is a goal we all share, but H.R. 8 will subject law-abiding gun owners to criminal penalties for simply handing a firearm to another person.
For instance, if you loaned a friend a rifle to go hunting, they could face a year in prison or a $100,000 fine. This is simply ridiculous.
The same would be true, Mr. Speaker, if you loaned an abuse victim a firearm for self-defense. H.R. 1446 would create arbitrary delays for firearm purchases and could allow the FBI to delay a firearm transfer indefinitely.
These bills would do nothing to keep Americans safer and, in fact, threaten the public safety and our constitutional right to bear arms.
Mr. Speaker, soon we will take a bipartisan vote on the Background Checks Act, a bill which could save lives in every district of our Nation. Expanding background checks will help prevent guns from…
Mr. Speaker, soon we will take a bipartisan vote on the Background Checks Act, a bill which could save lives in every district of our Nation. Expanding background checks will help prevent guns from getting into the hands of those who may be a danger to themselves or others. This is a simple commonsense solution to a worsening problem in our Nation.
Even in 2020, when many people were at home during the raging COVID- 19 pandemic, we lost more than 41,000 people to gun violence. That number includes nearly 300 children under the age of 11. My heart breaks for their parents. But heartbreak will do little to comfort those mourning families, and we know well enough by now it will do nothing to prevent any future tragedies.
It is time for us to step up to say enough is enough. It is time for our families to be able to play in the park, drive a car on the expressway, or on a bus, or other things we take for granted without fear of gun violence. We need to pass legislation that will save precious lives.
I ask: How many funerals have you attended?
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 8, expand background checks, and make our Nation safer.
Bill Text
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