Congress Moves to Weaken Gun Safety Measures

In the 333 days that I have served the Central Coast in Congress, there have been 403 mass shootings.

More often, we have found that perpetrators of mass shooting have a history of violence and erratic behavior as was the case with the deadly shooting in our own Central Coast community of Isla Vista. That is why earlier this year, I introduced H.R.2598, the Gun Violence Restraining Order, to help give law enforcement and families a tool to prevent gun violence through a court order before it happens.

Preventing gun violence is a deeply personal issue for me; my older sister took her life with a gun when we were growing up together in Arizona. Too many families have felt the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence, and I will not stop fighting to pass gun safety measures while serving in Congress.

Instead of putting forward commonsense legislation, House Republicans are voting on legislation this week that grants concealed-carry reciprocity throughout the country. If passed, this law would require California to accept concealed carry permits available to 18-year-olds in Vermont and other states with poor gun-safety laws. This extreme bill would make it legal for more dangerous and untrained people to carry loaded, hidden guns in more public places.

This is outrageous.

Each of us in Congress — Democrats and Republicans — should be committing ourselves to do what we can to combat our gun violence epidemic. Yes, there is no single solution, but that is no reason not to try and prevent some of these horrific attacks with commonsense reforms.