PRESS RELEASE
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) released the following statement in response to mass shootings in El Paso Texas and Dayton, Ohio:
“In schools, shopping centers, churches and neighborhoods across America people are seeking to inflict terror on the innocent and not nearly enough is being done to stop it.
“Earlier this year I joined the House in approving two common sense gun background check bills. but the Senate has yet to act.
“These devastating killings are not partisan, and nor should be the solution. This national crisis deserves a swift and comprehensive response. Lives are at stake. The Senate must get to work on gun safety legislation, mental health must continue to be a priority in our healthcare delivery system and we all must do our part to look out for one another.”
Higgins, a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, recently spoke in support of Congressional action of common sense gun safety legislation on the House Floor, saying, “Over the last decade we’ve witnessed gun violence take the lives of innocent children in our schools, terrorize our neighborhoods and harm our fellow colleagues in Congress. Each event invoked a moment of silence. We can no longer remain silent.”
Earlier this year Higgins and his colleagues in the House of Representatives approved H.R. 8 the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019 which would close the “gun-show loophole” that allows purchasers to bypass a federal background check when buying firearms from sellers that aren’t federally licensed, and H.R. 1112 the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 which extends the period of time that the FBI conducts background checks from three days to ten days, preventing the transfer of firearms to people who do not pass background checks. The House also recently approved $50 million for research to address gun violence prevention. The Senate has yet to act on any of this legislation.
Higgins is also cosponsoring:
H.R. 1296 Assault Weapons Ban of 2019: Prohibits the sale, transfer, production, and importation of military-style semi-automatic rifles and pistols, as well as high-capacity magazines
HR 1236 Extreme Risk Protection Order Act: Allows appropriate authorities to temporarily hold a firearm if a court determines an individual to be a threat to themselves or others.
HR 1279 Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2019: Authorizes the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, or gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs
