Huffman Votes to Send Historic Gun Violence Bill to President’s Desk
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Passes the House, Heads to President Biden to be Signed into Law
Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country.
“Today, the House took a historic step in addressing the gun violence epidemic that is ravaging America. For the first time in three decades, the Senate has finally broken through their inane gridlock and approved some of the measures House Democrats have been working on for years. And with our vote in the House, this legislation is now on its way to President Biden to be signed into law,” said Rep. Huffman. “This legislation — while a significant step in the right direction — is by no means enough. I have worked with my colleagues in the House to pass dozens of other measures that will make the bold changes needed to end the gun violence crisis, and we will not relent until the job is done.”
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country, including with:
- Support for State Crisis Intervention Orders: Creates $750 million for states to create and administer laws that will ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals determined by a court to be a significant danger to themselves or others, and for extreme risk protection orders that have sufficient due process.
- Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence by Closing the Boyfriend Loophole: Adds convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
- Banning Gun Trafficking & Cracking Down on Straw Purchases: Cracks down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements and clarifies which sellers need to register, conduct background checks, and keep appropriate records, and creates federal straw purchasing and trafficking criminal offenses for the first time, allowing prosecutors to target dangerous illegal gunrunners.
- Enhanced Background Checks for People Under 21: Requires an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement, for buyers under 21 years of age, creating an enhanced, longer background check of up to ten days.
- Anti-Violence Community Initiatives: Provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives.
- Investing in Children & Family Mental Health Services: Supports the national expansion of community behavioral health center model; improves access to mental health services for children, youth, and families through the Medicaid program and CHIP; increases access to mental health services for youth and families in crisis via telehealth; and provides major investments at the Department of Health and Human Services to programs that expand provider training in mental health, support suicide prevention, crisis and trauma intervention and recovery.
- Investing in Safe Schools: Invests in programs to expand mental health and supportive services in schools, including: early identification and intervention programs, school-based mental health and wrap-around services, improvements to school-wide learning conditions, and school safety.
A one-pager on the bill can be found here.
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.
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