Gun Violence
Congress must act to address the gun violence epidemic in this country. I am an original cosponsor of Rep. Mike Thompson’s H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, to require a background check for every firearm sale.
Although, we’re fortunate that California has strict gun safety laws, I have continued working to minimize federal loopholes and pass commonsense regulations to protect law-abiding citizens in California and throughout the nation. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I have worked to strengthen gun safety laws, including as a cosponsor of the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to expand the federal background check system, as well as legislation to end Congress’s 20 year ban on federal gun violence research.
In 2016, I joined my Democratic colleagues, led by iconic civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, in a sit-in on the House floor to urge an immediate vote on gun safety legislation that has been stalled for years. Read more about this historic effort HERE.