House Passes Legislation Aimed At Combating Gun Violence
The two key bills will now go to the Senate. Photo by Chip Somodevilla
Since losing her son in 2012 to an act of gun violence, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), has weathered incalculable grief. Jordan Davis was just 17-years-old when a man complaining of “loud music” opened fire on a car of unarmed teens at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida.
Since that time, McBath has been a tireless activist for gun law reform, running for Congress to turn her pain into a push for solutions. Last week (March 11), she joined fellow members of the House of Representatives in helping to pass two key gun violence bills that have bipartisan support.
House Passes Two Bills Expanding Background Checks For Gun Sales
House Passes Two Bills Expanding Background Checks For Gun Sales
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed two gun control measures on Thursday, adding requirements to the background check process in an effort to prevent approvals for those who do not actually qualify, due to posing a danger to themselves or others.
H.R. 8 is the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, which seeks to “utilize the current background checks process in the United States to ensure individuals prohibited from gun possession are not able to obtain firearms.” It is a reintroduction of the 2019 bill by House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson, (D-Calif.).
The House agreed to the Senate amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act, which will spend $1.9 trillion on various measures, many of them related to COVID-19.
WASHINGTONÂ â Here s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
House vote
UNIONIZATION: The House has passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (H.R. 842), sponsored by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. The bill would change laws governing labor practices and unions, with the general goal of making it easier for workers to form unions. Scott said the changes were needed because existing labor law lacks the teeth to enforce workers rights when employers unlawfully retaliate against them for organizing. A bill opponent, Rep. Fred Keller, R-Pa., said that by needlessly inserting government into the workplace, it would infringe on workers rights and handcuff employers, making it harder for people to make decisions that positively impact their workforce. The vote, on March 9, was 225 yeas to 206 nays.
Maloney Helps Pass Bipartisan Gun Safety Measures Written by Office of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
Today,
Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) voted to pass two landmark bipartisan gun violence prevention bills that would close dangerous loopholes in our nation’s background check system.
“These are smart, commonsense bills that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and help make communities here in the Hudson Valley – and across America – safer places to live,” said
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. “With over 90 percent of the American public supporting universal background checks, these bills are a no-brainer. They are long overdue fixes to a broken system and will help save innocent lives.”