House Democrats Pass Historic Legislation to Confront Gun Violence

June 09, 2022

Washington, DC – This week, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted to pass the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. These bills include a comprehensive package of gun violence prevention proposals to reduce gun deaths and help prevent future mass casualty shootings.

“We have a gun violence epidemic in our country, a crisis that is uniquely American. As elected officials, it’s our responsibility to legislate to protect communities – but Republicans have blocked us at every turn. They have allowed this crisis to reach a gruesome tipping point where over 100 people die from firearms every single day and guns have become the number one killer of children. Nothing – nothing is worth this. It’s appalling, and we cannot let it go unanswered for one more minute,” said Rep. Huffman. “Year after year we debate this issue, but nothing has changed. Enough is enough. We must put politics aside and act to save lives. People from all parties, from all walks of life are desperately calling on Congress to make these reforms that are so commonsense and urgently needed. This week’s votes are just two of the many steps in our work to stop the bloodshed, and we will not relent until the job is done.”

The Protecting Our Children Act would make an enormous difference in combatting gun violence by:

  • Raising the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old (Title 1)
  • Cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets (Title 2)
  • Subjecting ghost gun purchases to background check requirements (Title 3)
  • Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings (Title 4)
  • Closing the bump stock loophole to ban these deadly tools from civilian use (Title 5)
  • Outlawing high-capacity magazines, which are designed for killing en masse and have been the accessory of choice in the bloodiest mass shootings (Title 6)
  • Requiring an annual report of demographic data of those being determined to be ineligible to purchase guns (Title 7)

The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act is designed to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others by implementing a nationwide extreme risk law and encouraging states to enact their own extreme risk laws.

In the coming weeks, the House will take additional action by:

  • Bringing to the Floor the Active Shooter Alert Act to create an AMBER Alert-style notification during a mass shooting, a measure widely supported by law enforcement, and
  • Holding a hearing to advance an assault weapons ban bill: a step the Congress took decades ago that was proven to save lives and one has broad support in America to this day.

Since taking the Majority in 2018, House Democrats have twice passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act. Together, these bills would secure universal background checks for all gun purchases, supported by nearly nine in ten Americans.