DO THIS NOW: Support The Background Check Expansion Act and Other Common Sense Gun Legislation

Mass shootings continue to dominate the headlines, the latest last week at a school in California. The perpetrator had a history of violence and domestic abuse, and legally should not have been allowed to buy a firearm, but due to loopholes in the existing gun laws another tragedy occurred.

In other cases, people convicted of domestic abuse can still acquire guns as long as they are not married or living with the victim, nor have had a child with the victim. In other words, stalkers have free reign.

Meanwhile, over 200 members of the House and 38 Senators have co-sponsored S446/HR 38, the “concealed carry reciprocity” bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in states that currently don’t allow concealed carry, a move that has been designated a priority of the NRA despite being actively opposed by seventeen Democratic Attorneys General. And Slide Fire, a leading manufacturer of gun accessories, has announced that it will resume sales of bump stocks.

Luckily, there is some good news: a federal court ruled yesterday that assault weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment. Additionally, several bills have been introduced to try to address the issues mentioned above, and they need our strong support:

The Background Check Expansion Act (S 2009) requires a background check for all people who purchase a gun. (Right now this is waived for people who purchase firearms at gunshows.)

Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2017 (S 1539/HR 2670) amends the domestic violence law so that stalkers convicted of domestic violence would also be prohibited from obtaining firearms.

The Automatic Gunfire Protection Act (S 1916/HR 3947) is a bipartisan bill that would prevent the sale of bump stocks.

DO THIS NOW:

Call your MoCs: Ask them to support the three bills listed above and to OPPOSE the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill (explained above) and the SHARE Act, which deregulates gun silencers. Also tell them to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and lift the ban on gun violence research. See script below.