CONGRATULATIONS TO GIL CISNEROS (CA-39)

BRADY ENDORSES 10 ACTIVE DUTY VETERANS AND CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FOR 2020 ELECTIONS

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/brady-endorses-10-active-duty-veterans-and-current-members-of-congress-for-2020-reelection

Brady Endorses 10 Active Duty Veterans and Current Members of Congress for 2020 Election


Washington, D.C., December 4, 2019 – Today, Brady endorsed 10 sitting members of Congress, all veterans of the U.S. military, for reelection in 2020.

Brady President Kris Brown stated:

“The men and women who serve in our armed forces understand sacrifice. They understand partnership. And, they understand the responsibility required to own and handle a firearm. The 10 members of Congress, all veterans, who we endorsed today have proven that. In their time in Congress, they have shown all these qualities, working tirelessly on behalf of their constituents and across the aisle to address gun violence in their districts and across our country. They understand that we need common-sense reforms to keep weapons out of the hands of those who cannot responsibly use them and to keep weapons of war out of our communities. It’s why we need to send them back to Washington. We need their perspective. We need their voices. And, we need their leadership.”

Today, Brady endorsed:

Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) – A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq.

Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33) – A U.S. Air Force veteran who currently serves as a Colonel in the Reserves, stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

Rep. Gil Cisneros (CA-39) – A U.S. Navy veteran who was deployed to the Western Pacific and Mediterranean and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) – A U.S. Army Ranger veteran who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a bronze star for his actions during the Battle of Samawah.

Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) – A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four tours of duty in Iraq.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-09) – A U.S. Army veteran.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) – A U.S. Navy veteran and H3 Sea King helicopter pilot.

Rep. Max Rose (NY-11) – A U.S. Army veteran who served in the War in Afghanistan who was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) – A U.S. Air Force veteran.

Rep. Elaine Luria (VA-02) – A U.S. Navy veteran and among the first women, American sailors to spend her entire career on combat ships.

Candidates endorsed today have a proven track record of supporting common-sense gun safety legislation. Given the urgent need for federal action to reform our nation’s gun laws and to reduce gun violence, Brady will continue to issue endorsements for the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and state and local offices ahead of the 2020 elections.

Each of these members is on the record supporting commonsense gun safety policies supported by bipartisan majorities of Americans, including voting for H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 and H.R. 1112, Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019.

H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 were passed by the 116th Congress in February 2019 and have sat on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel’s desk for over 275 days without a vote.

Brown concluded:

“While we can’t force Senator McConnell to give H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 the votes they deserve in the Senate, what we can do is vote for candidates who will continue to champion these issues in the United States Congress. We need these members’ voices and their leadership in Washington.”

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.

Brady and youth initiative Team ENOUGH applaud Senator Cory Booker and Rep. Steven Horsford’s Break the Cycle of Violence Act aimed to reduce urban gun violence across America

Washington, D.C., October 23, 2019 —  Brady and Team ENOUGH applaud Senator Cory Booker (NJ) and Representative Steven Horsford (NV-4) as they introduce the “Break the Cycle of Violence Act.” The legislation sets a new standard for legislative efforts focused on communities that are impacted by the daily toll of gun violence.

Brady President, Kris Brown stated,

“It’s far too common that conversations about solutions to gun violence leave out the communities that are most impacted. We need strong federal gun policies combined with community-oriented intervention programs if we are to ever make headway in ending this epidemic of gun violence. We owe it to all the victims, survivors, and those who are afraid to simply walk down the street to invest resources into programs proven to reduce gun violence and implement the common-sense solutions we already know work. Brady strongly endorses this legislation and views evidence-based violence intervention as a cornerstone of the comprehensive solution to ending gun violence in America.”

Team ENOUGH Executive Council member Aalayah Eastmond stated,

"Since its inception, Team ENOUGH has been working to shed light on the gun violence experienced in Black and Brown communities, while amplifying the voices of young people of color. Gun violence is killing us. It’s that simple. While stories of numerous black and brown families may not make national headlines, it’s about time that our elected leaders take action to ensure the solutions on the table address the way communities are impacted. That is exactly what Senator Booker and Representative Horsford have done with this legislation and Team ENOUGH is proud to support the Break the Cycle of Violence Act.”

The Break the Cycle of Violence Act would provide federal grants to communities that experience 20 or more homicides per year and have a homicide rate at least twice the national average, or communities that demonstrate a unique need for additional resources to intervene in gun and group-related violence. The grants would be used to implement hospital-based violence intervention programs, evidence-based street outreach programs, and group violence intervention strategies.

CDC data has shown that 80% of gun homicides take place in urban environments, and disproportionately impact young people of color – young Black children and teens are 14 times more likely, and Hispanic children and teens are three times more likely to be shot to death than their white peers. Violence intervention and strengthening gun laws are both critical to addressing this devastating reality. Research shows that being shot, shot at, or witnessing a shooting doubles the probability that a young person will commit violence within two years.

Deterring violence and preserving the economic stability of communities go hand in hand. Beyond the staggering human toll of gun violence, communities that experience higher levels of violence also face enormous financial burden through depopulation, decreased commercial activity, decreased property values, and fewer jobs. Moreover, a single gun homicide costs on average over $440,000 in medical and criminal justice expenses – often paid with tax dollars - which account for $229 billion to cover the annual cost of gun violence in America.


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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.

A CALIFORNIA BRADY VICTORY!  THANK YOU TO BRADY MEMBERS & SUPPORTERS!

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/california-gov-newsom-signs-gun-safety-bills

BRADY APPLAUDS GOV. NEWSOM FOR SIGNING PACKAGE OF GUN SAFETY BILLS

Sacramento, California, October 11, 2019 — Brady and its California chapters applaud Governor Newsom for signing a comprehensive package of gun safety bills into law. Newsom held a press conference Friday, joined by Brady California Legislative Chair Amanda Wilcox, to announce the signing of laws to strengthen gun safety in the state, including measures to restrict semi-automatic rifles and ghost guns, improve the state’s Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) law (also called extreme risk laws or "red flag laws*), and improve the implementation and enforcement of California's already strong gun laws.

Watch the Facebook Live footage of the bill signing, with words by Brady's Amanda Wilcox.

Members of Brady’s California chapters lobbied and placed more than 1,300 calls into offices to ensure the bills were signed into law. Wilcox was one of the few individuals to testify at committee hearings on SB 61, AB 1669, and many other gun violence prevention bills that Newsom signed into law.

SB 61 (Portantino) will limit the number of semi-automatic rifles that a person can purchase within a 30-day period and further restrict the sale of semi-automatic weapons to people under the age of 21. These weapons have been used in numerous mass shootings in California. AB 1669 (Bonta) will assist in covering the costs of vital measures like background checks by raising the dealer’s record of sale fee consumers pay when purchasing a firearm.

Brady California Legislative Chair Amanda Wilcox stated, “These bills strengthen California’s already strong gun laws and are evidence that California continues to invest in and protect the safety of our communities. I’m incredibly proud of our Brady California chapters and their hard work that ensured these bills were signed into law. I’m grateful that Gov. Newsom has been such a strong ally of the gun violence prevention movement, understands the importance of keeping guns out of the wrong hands, and has taken action to show his commitment.”

President of Brady California Mattie Scott added, “Since the beginning of this year’s legislative session, California has suffered numerous high-profile massacres, including those at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy and at the Chabad of Poway synagogue. In just these two shootings, four people were killed, and 20 lives were changed forever. This doesn’t even include the daily gun violence in California that kills 3,000 Californians each year. Despite the fact that California has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, and has seen a decline in gun deaths four times greater than the rest of the nation, there is still more we can do. Brady is proud to stand with the Governor today as he signs these critical bills into law.”

In addition to SB 61 and AB 1669, Brady supports a range of gun violence prevention bills that the Governor signed, including:

AB 879 (Gipson) — Requires parts needed to assemble or manufacture a gun to be purchased from a licensed firearm precursor part vendor and includes an instant background check and record. This bill works to prevent the creation of ghost guns or 3D guns by prohibited purchasers.

AB 339 (Irwin) — Requires local law enforcement agencies to establish policies and standards for implementing the state’s gun violence restraining order (GVRO).

AB 521 (Berman) — Establishes a program to train physicians how to talk about gun safety with their patients.

AB 61 (Ting) — Expands GVRO petitioners to include school employees, employers, and work colleagues.

AB 1493 (Ting) — Allows the subject of a GVRO petition to submit a form to the court voluntarily relinquishing their firearm rights and stating that the subject is not contesting the petition.

AB 1297 (McCarty) — Requires the issuing authority (i.e. sheriff) to charge a fee sufficient to cover the cost of issuing and enforcing a concealed-carry permit.

AB 1603 (Wicks) — Codifies the establishment of the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.

AB 164 (Cervantes) — Prevents individuals who are subject to out-of-state restraining or protective orders from purchasing or possessing a firearm in California.

SB 376 (Portantino) — Brings the sale, lease, or transfer of long guns in line with California’s regulations exempting infrequent transfers of handguns from the requirement to be a licensed dealer, and requires anyone manufacturing 50 or more firearms per year to be licensed as a manufacturer.

AB 645 (Irwin) — Requires that the warnings on packaging of firearms sold or transferred in California by a licensed dealer to include the national suicide prevention lifeline phone number. It also requires that this specified statement be included in the warnings provided to a person taking the firearm safety certificate test.

*Brady encourages media and others not to use the term “Red Flag Law.” While the term has grown in popularity as an easy reference to a complex policy, the term further stigmatizes those living with mental illness and misrepresents the purpose of the law by reinforcing existing prejudices and stereotypes.


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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


Amanda Wilcox
Legislation & Policy Chair
California Chapters
Brady United Against Gun Violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brady Condemns Ohio Governor’s Proposals to Address Gun Violence as Insufficient

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2019 —Two months after a shooting in Dayton, Ohio that left ten dead and 27 others injured, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a legislative proposal including purely voluntary background checks for private sales, and a change to the existing Ohio “pink slip” process rather than answering calls to enact a life-saving extreme risk law. This change does not specifically address the range of behavioral health risk factors that are all too frequently the precursors to self harm, interpersonal, and mass violence with guns.

Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne stated,

“This is not what meaningful gun reform looks like. The victims, families, and survivors of gun violence in Ohio, including those in the recent Dayton shooting, deserve better. The bait and switch Governor DeWine has proposed would provide an optional background check for private sales where background checks are already optional. This does nothing to address guns that are being sold, no questions asked. These legislative proposals are unlikely to be effective, and risk further stigmatizing individuals living with mental illness, especially as a policy solution in the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Ohioans deserve real solutions to the very real violence the Buckeye State faces every day by passing life-saving measures we know work.”

Brady renews its call to Ohio lawmakers to take strong action on the laws that have been proven to save lives: requiring background checks for all gun sales, including private sales, as well as enacting an extreme risk law that gives family members, law enforcement, and other key individuals an avenue to prevent a person in crisis from harming themselves or others by temporarily removing guns and prohibiting the purchase of firearms.

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Assembly Floor Vote Coming Soon

 ACTION ALERT  September 5, 2019

AYE on SB 61 (Portantino)

Please Contact Your California State Assembly Members and tell them to help stop gun trafficking by voting Yes on SB 61

RE: SB 61 (Portantino) – Semi-automatic centerfire rifle transfers

Summary: SB 61 will help curb gun trafficking by capping the number of new semi- automatic centerfire rifles that can be purchased in one month. The bill will also eliminate the hunting license exception that allows those under age 21 to purchase a semi-automatic centerfire rifle.

Existing Law: California law prohibits selling handguns to anyone under age 21 and prohibits, with exceptions, licensed firearms dealers from selling or transferring a long gun to a person under 21.  Additionally, since 2000, new handgun purchases from licensed firearms dealers in California have been limited to no more than one per person per 30-day period. This helps curb the illegal flow of handguns by taking the profit out of selling guns from bulk purchases on the black market. SB 61 extends this provision to semi-automatic centerfire rifles.

ATF Reports show that firearms acquired in large quantities at one time are frequently used in crime i A University of Pennsylvania study found that guns purchased in bulk were up to 64% more likely to be used for illegal purposes than guns purchased individually.ii

Long guns are increasingly used in crime in California. Of the 26,682 crime guns entered into DOJ’s Automated Firearms Systems database in 2009, 11,500 were long guns.iii Since 1999, Californians have typically purchased more long guns than handguns every yeariv and these long guns include high-powered semi-automatic rifles.

Semi-automatic centerfire rifles are frequently the weapon of choice for mass shooters. The weapons used in the recent shootings at a Garlic Festival in Gilroy and at a synagogue in Poway, California were semi-automatic centerfire rifles.

An analysis of Cal DOJ transaction data from the period January 2014 through June 2015 shows that 81.9% of long guns were sold as a single long gun purchase within a 30-day period.v The vast majority of long gun purchasers will not be impacted by the cap under SB 61. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum, an individual purchased 177 long guns in two transactions within a one month period (April 2014).vi

Brady California believes handguns and semi-automatic centerfire rifles should generally be subject to the same laws. SB 61 furthers Brady California’s goal to limit the flow of dangerous weapons into the wrong hands.

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i Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Crime Gun Trace Reports (1999) National Report 40 (Nov. 2000) and
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Crime Gun Trace Reports (2000) National Report 50 (July 2002).
ii Koper, Christopher S.; Jerry Lee Center of Criminology, Univ. of Penn., Crime Gun Risk Factors: Buyer, Seller, Firearm, and Transaction Characteristics Associated with Gun Trafficking and Criminal Gun Use -- A report to the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice (2007). https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/221074. pdf.
iii Data provided by the California Department of Justice, April 6, 2010.
iv California Department of Justice, “Dealer’s Record of Sale (Calendar Year Statistics),” http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/forms/dros_chart.pdf?.
v Data provided by the California Department of Justice, November 3, 2015.
vi Data provided by the California Department of Justice, November 3, 2015.

ACTION ALERT FOR AB 1669

September 3, 2019

CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR AND URGE URGE A YES VOTE ON AB 1669 TO HELP FUND AND ENFORCE CALIFORNIA'S GUN LAWS

Funding for Firearm Enforcement Programs

To further Brady’s core goal to keep firearms out of dangerous hands, Brady California is in strong support of AB 1669. The bill reconfigures and raises the Dealers’ Record of Sale (DROS) fee to fund regulatory and enforcement activities related to the sale, purchase, manufacturing, lawful or unlawful possession, loan, or transfer of firearms.

Under existing law, the DROS fee is charged by Cal DOJ for most firearm transfers to pay for the background check process, firearm-related enforcement activities, and other reporting requirements. Although the DROS fee may be increased annually by the California Consumer Price Index (CPI), the fee has not been raised since 2004. Had the fee been raised with the CPI, it would be approximately $26 today.

AB 1669 will raise the DROS fee from $19.00 to $32.19. The new fee will be split between two accounts: 1) $1 fee on each firearm purchaser to fund non-regulatory costs associated with mental health-related reporting and other notifications and 2) $31.19 on each firearm purchaser to fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, firearm-related regulatory and enforcement activities. AB 1669 allows future fee increases no more than the CPI, but the fee cannot exceed the reasonable cost of regulation to Cal DOJ.

As new gun laws have been enacted, the workload has increased for CAL DOJ, even as gun sales, and collecting the associated fees, have recently declined. Cal DOJ estimates that a $13.19 fee increase, to be narrowly spent on key enforcement programs and statutory requirements, would enable Cal DOJ to meet its current obligations.

Additionally, AB 1669 will update existing law by applying gun show regulations for firearm dealers to ammunition vendors so that gun show regulations are consistent with the Safety for All Act (Prop 63), which was enacted by California voters in 2016.

As part of our mission to reduce firearm injury and death, Brady California has worked to enact many of the laws that have increased the duties of Cal DOJ.

We know that these laws are important as California’s firearm mortality rate has declined by 55 percent since 1993 —almost four times the decrease in the rest of the nation. Even more lives can be saved if Cal DOJ has adequate and stable funding to fully implement and enforce California’s strong gun laws.

BRADY RESPONDS TO MASS SHOOTINGS IN ODESSA, TEXAS, 

AND MOBILE, ALABAMA

Washington, D.C., August 31, 2019 — Two mass shootings have injured more than 30 people and killed at least five as Labor Day Weekend kicks off. The incidents are the latest in a recent spike in mass shootings throughout the country, leaving Americans everywhere to once again ask, “where are we safe?”

On Friday evening, gun fire broke out at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama, injuring at least 10 people and leaving multiple teenage victims in critical condition. The bloodshed continued Saturday afternoon with a mass shooting in West Texas, reported to have begun with a traffic stop. The gun violence prevention organization, Brady, expressed outrage at the violence and the continued inaction of elected leaders.

Brady President, Kris Brown stated,

“Yet again, our communities suffer a mass shooting while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator John Cornyn continue their congressional breaks. Today, it’s in Odessa, Texas. Yesterday it was in Alabama. Before that, it was Dayton, El Paso, Brooklyn, Gilroy, and San Fernando Valley. That’s just in the past month alone, and it doesn’t include the hundreds of other deaths and injuries that never made national headlines. Every single day congressional leaders decide not to act, 100 Americans are killed by guns. What is it going to take for Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, and the Senate to act? They need to follow the example set by our leaders in the House and take immediate steps to enact common-sense solutions that we know will end this epidemic.”
Texas, which has recently experienced two high-profile mass shootings, as well as Alabama, have some of the weakest gun laws in the country. Neither state requires background checks on private sales, nor do they have bans on assault weapons or large-capacity magazines. In 2017, Alabama had the second highest gun death rate in the country. Of the 10 deadliest shootings in modern U.S. history, four have taken place in Texas: First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, the University of Texas at Austin, and — less than a month ago — a Walmart in El Paso.

Brady urges law enforcement and media to focus on how the shooters obtained their firearms and if any local or federal laws were broken in the process.

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Brady issued an open letter to the moderators of the first 2020 debate, during them to prioritize gun violence prevention next week.  The full letter can be found below, and on the national website.


To: José Diaz-Balart, Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Rachel Maddow, and Chuck Todd, NBC News

Re. Gun Violence and the Presidential Debates

With the first debate of the 2020 presidential cycle rapidly approaching, we are writing to urge you to prioritize the most important issue to many American voters — gun violence prevention. The 2018 midterm elections clearly demonstrated this, as voters ushered in a wave of gun violence prevention champions. Poll after poll shows that this issue is consistently top of mind for voters, and fear of school shootings was the number one issue driving turnout amongst young voters, who voted in record numbers during the last cycle. And the issue proved to be of top importance to candidates, as well - ​a Reuters analysis​ found that nearly 80 percent of newly elected Democrats in 2018 included gun safety in their campaign platforms, far beyond the proportion of Democratic Congressional candidates who did so just two years earlier.

Polling today clearly demonstrates that attention to the issue has not faded. A recent ​CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll in Iowa​ found that more than 60 percent of respondents considered restoring a ban on assault-style weapons to be a “must-have” position for their chosen candidate. A ​CBS News/YouGov battleground tracker poll​ found that gun policy was the third most important issue Democratic voters want to hear the candidates talk about, trailing only health care and jobs/economy, and that same poll found that 62 percent of Democrats “must hear” a candidates’ gun reform policies before voting for them. And ​more and more candidates​ have placed a priority on bold, detailed policy plans to combat gun violence.

With this in mind, we call on you, the moderators of next week’s debate, to ask strong, detailed questions on gun reform to the Democratic presidential candidates. With so many candidates - not to mention the American public - united on policies such as expanded background checks and extreme risk laws, these questions should go deeper on policy and plans.

Please consider the following questions:

1) Every day, on average, 100 people are shot and killed in the United States. If those trends continue, by the time your first 100 days in office are complete, more than 10,000
people across this country will have been killed by gun violence. What actions would you take to address gun violence in the first 100 days of your administration?

2) Mass shootings shock the American consciousness and dominate our headlines, while everyday gun violence rarely elevates to the national stage. What would you do to protect disproportionately impacted Americans, many of whom live in communities where they aren’t safe to walk down the street? And what specific plans do you have to tackle everyday gun violence, in communities of color, the LGBTQ community, hate crimes, domestic violence, and those who die by suicide?

3) Leading causes of death in our country, including car crashes and kidney disease, are given substantial attention and funding from the federal government to study and address the causes of the disease and potential cures. Do you consider gun violence to be a public health epidemic on that same scale, and if so, how would you combat the crisis taking a public health approach?

4) In response to high-profile school shootings over the past few years, including but not limited to the February 14, 2018 shooting in Parkland, FL, there have been a range of proposed policy solutions to address the issue. In Florida, a recently passed bill would authorize arming school teachers in the classroom. Do you believe arming teachers is the correct solution, or do you see other policies as more effective at protecting our students?

5) There is broad national support for many proposed solutions to our gun violence epidemic, such as universal background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and extreme risk laws, and we know the changes that should be enacted. With most Americans in agreement as to these solutions, why do you feel no progress has been made?

Thank you for your time and efforts, and we look forward to working with you throughout the election season.

Best,
Kris Brown, President Brady

Brady Applauds Call for Emergency Legislative Session Following Virginia Beach Shooting 

Washington, D.C., June 4, 2019 — Days after 12 people were shot and killed in Virginia Beach, VA, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he will call an emergency legislative session to take up a package of gun violence prevention bills, including action on suppressors, a ban on assault weapons, and expansion of local authority to regulate firearms. The gun violence prevention group Brady applauded the announcement, hailing it as an opportunity for Virginia legislators to take action to prevent the next mass shooting.

Brady President and Virginia native Kris Brown stated,

“Time and time again, members of the Virginia legislature have chosen to put profits over people, siding with the corporate gun lobby over keeping people safe from gun violence. Now, they have an opportunity to make this right. Gov. Northam is absolutely correct when he says that gun violence in Virginia is an emergency, and now is the time for elected officials from both parties to come together and take action, not sides. And if they choose to reject this chance, Virginia voters will remember and take action of their own come November.”

Gov. Northam announced a number of bills that will be taken under consideration in the emergency session, including:

A ban on high-capacity magazines, silencers, bump stocks, and assault weapons;
Expansion of local authority to regulate firearms, including in government buildings;
Expanded background checks;
An extreme risk law allowing law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from a person at a heightened risk of violent behavior;
A limit of one handgun purchase per person per month; and
New safe storage requirements keeping guns out of childrens’ hands.

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Brady Statement on Virginia Beach Shooting

Washington, D.C., May 31, 2019 — This afternoon, a confirmed 11 people were shot and killed with at least six more injured at a government building in Virginia Beach, VA. The gun violence prevention organization Brady issued the following statement, expressing outrage at yet another mass shooting in America.

Brady President and Virginia native Kris Brown stated,

“This is a devastating day for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state all too familiar with the pain of mass shootings and everyday gun violence. While it’s too soon to know all the details, we do know that yet again, a senseless act of gun violence has resulted in a permanent tragedy for so many families and another shocked community. Just as we work to find the causes of other mass casualties and take immediate corrective actions, we must examine how this happened so we can take steps to ensure we are not repeating this conversation again and again. Our hearts are with the people of Virginia Beach and the first responders who stepped in today to save lives. We all deserve to live our daily lives — to work, attend school, simply walk down the street, in communities free of gun violence.”

Andy Goddard, President of Brady Virginia’s Hampton Roads Chapter and father of Virginia Tech shooting survivor Colin Goddard, added,

“From Virginia Tech to Virginia Beach, we know too well how devastating gun violence can be to a community. As we move into the summer months, we must commit to taking action to ensure that this is not another season of increased shootings. These were innocent people ending a work week and looking forward to spending the weekend with their family, their friends, their loved ones. Perhaps we will eventually take action when we have no more thoughts and prayers to give, no more candles to light, no more flowers and teddy bears to pile up, no more tears left in our eyes. Until then, to the Virginia Beach community — we are with you.”

Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer stated in a press conference that, “[t]his is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach.” The shooting took place in Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. The site houses the city’s operations building, including offices for planning and public works, and is adjacent to City Hall.

Reportedly, a semi-automatic pistol and a rifle found at the scene are believed to have been used in the shooting. The suspect is believed to have purchased the guns legally.

A 2018 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that there were 500 workplaces homicides in 2016, with shootings accounting for 394 of them - 79 percent. In September 2018, three high-profile workplace shootings took place over the course of 24 hours.

Virginia state law § 15.2-915 states that “no locality shall adopt any workplace rule, other than for the purposes of a community services board or behavioral health authority as defined in § 37.2-100, that prevents an employee of that locality from storing at that locality's workplace a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in a locked private motor vehicle.”

Members of the Virginia Beach community impacted by this tragedy can contact Give an Hour, a network of therapists who will provide free help to survivors. The organization, founded originally to reach out to combat veterans returning from war, has expanded its services to include victims of gun violence in the United States, who suffer many of the same post-traumatic issues as our veterans returning from combat.

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Members of the 116th Congress:

We, the undersigned organizations, strongly urge you to cosponsor and quickly pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act, and S. 42, the Background Check Expansion Act, to require Brady background checks for all firearm transfers.

In the 25 years since the Brady Law was enacted, more than 3 million prohibited firearm purchases have been prevented. In 2015 alone, an average of 619 individuals per day were deemed by law to be too dangerous to possess a gun and were blocked by this system.

Background checks are conclusively effective and have saved countless lives. However, because only federally licensed firearms dealers are required to conduct these checks, an estimated one in five gun sales or transfers - those conducted by private sellers, including sales online and at gun shows - are completed without a background check. Felons, domestic abusers and other dangerous people have long exploited these gaps in the law, often with deadly consequences.

H.R. 8 and S. 42 will make us all safer by requiring a background check for virtually every firearm sale and transfer. The bills include narrow, reasonable exceptions like transfers among close family members and short-term gun loans among hunters and sport shooters. The legislation does nothing to impede lawful gun purchases, while closing off a wide and well-known avenue for illegal transactions by prohibited, and often dangerous, buyers. And it enjoys the support of 97% of Americans, including large majorities of gun owners and NRA members.

We urge you to act quickly to pass this life-saving legislation.

Sincerely,

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
League of Women Voters of the US
Children’s Defense Fund
The United States Conference of Mayors
Major Cities Chiefs Association National PTA
National Education Association (NEA)
American Public Health Association Color of Change
Indivisible
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Hispanic American Police Commanders Association (HAPCOA)
VoteVets
MomsRising
People for the American Way
New York Professional Nurses Union
Doctors for America
Nurses Against Gun Violence
Bishops United Against Gun Violence
Docs Demand Action
This Is Our Lane
American Medical Student Association
Equality Florida
Grandmothers for Peace International
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Union for Reform Judaism
National Physicians Alliance
Joint Action Committee
Newtown Action Alliance
Sandy Hook Promise
Amnesty International

H.R. 8 and S. 42

Brady Campaign Praises Introduction of Universal Background Check Bills in Congress

Washington, D.C., January 8, 2019 – Just days after a pro-gun safety Congress was sworn into office, leadership in the House of Representatives fulfilled their promise to the American public by introducing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019, which would expand Brady background checks to cover all gun sales. This comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal will reintroduce the Background Check Expansion Act in the Senate, which would similarly expand Brady background checks to cover all gun sales. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which bears the name of the gun safety leaders who led the charge to pass the Brady Law 25 years ago, hailed the actions as a monumental step towards keeping our country safe.

“The American people were unequivocal this past November in voting for a pro-gun safety Congress, and we are glowing with pride to see such immediate action,” stated Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign. “The Brady background check system has saved countless lives, but we’ve known and advocated for years to close the loopholes that allow one in five guns to be sold with no questions asked. Universal background checks have universal support, and H.R. 8 is long overdue. This is our moment for real, lasting change to prevent gun violence, and we are proud to be part of such a wide-ranging coalition that has worked for years to make this day a reality.”

In the 25 years since the Brady Law went into effect, more than three million prohibited gun purchases have been blocked. Brady background checks have prevented domestic abusers, convicted felons, and other dangerous people from buying guns from federally licensed firearms dealers, but private sales, including over the internet and at gun shows, remain unregulated. Both of the bills being introduced would close those loopholes and strengthen the Brady background check system, taking a strong step towards fulfilling the mission of Jim and Sarah Brady decades ago.

“Simply put, if every gun sale had to go through a background check, my father would still be alive today,” stated Brady gun safety advocate Kelley Birdsong, whose father Ricky was shot and killed by a white supremacist in 1999. “Every day, innocent people like my dad are being murdered because our elected officials can’t seem to get on board with legislation that almost every single American wants to see in place. Congress, the time is now to take action - for my dad, for the 96 people shot and killed in this country every single day, for everyone impacted by gun violence on a daily basis, and for the countless lives that will be saved by something as simple as expanded background checks on gun sales.”

“Since the inception of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force after the shooting at Sandy Hook, we have been working across the aisle to help prevent gun violence. Today we take a decisive step forward to help save lives right away. As a gun owner, hunter and supporter of the Second Amendment, I am honored to join with Democratic and Republican colleagues to introduce my universal background checks bill that will help keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them,” said House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson (D-CA-05). “From the public polling to the ballot box, the American people have spoken up and demanded action to help end the tragedy of gun violence that far too many in our country face every day. We will continue our fight and we will deliver.”

“97% of Americans agree—if you can’t pass a background check, you shouldn’t be able to buy a gun. I’m proud to introduce the Background Check Expansion Act as my first bill. Voters stood up this fall and made it clear they want Congress to do more to keep our kids safe from gun violence. We need to listen to them and pass our bill to save lives,” said Sen. Chris Murphy.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY-03) added, “There is no single law that can put an end to mass shootings or gun violence, but there are certainly proactive steps we can take to keep guns out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers. When background checks are used, they keep guns out of the hands of people we all agree shouldn’t have guns. As government officials it is our responsibility to protect our citizens, and when it comes to gun violence we must do more. The overwhelming majority of Americans want to see action, and we owe it to the victims and their families to prevent such tragedies from occurring again. I am proud to be the lead Republican sponsor of this legislation.” 

“During my tenure in Congress, I have always supported reasonable laws that protect Second Amendment rights while ensuring that felons, fugitives, domestic abusers and those who have been found to be a danger to themselves or others do not have access to guns,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-04). “This common-sense legislation would further this end by strengthening protections against unlawful gun purchases—closing the ‘private sale loophole’ and listing all those prohibited from buying a firearm in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).”

The Brady Background Check System

• Five years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and just months after Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed, Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). While the GCA established that certain people, including convicted felons, were prohibited from purchasing guns, there was no mechanism to determine whether or not a prospective purchaser was legally allowed to do so.

• After White House press secretary James Brady was shot and paralyzed in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, he and his wife, Sarah Brady, dedicated their lives to gun violence prevention. After six years of lobbying Congress, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, or the Brady Law, was passed by a bipartisan vote. The bill was signed by President Bill Clinton and went into effect on Feb. 28, 1994 - nearly 25 years ago.

• The Brady Law led to the development of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a database housing records to determine whether gun purchasers are legally able to have guns per the GCA. For the first time, a federal system was put into place to block prohibited purchasers from buying guns in America.

• In 2017, over 25 million Brady background checks were processed by the FBI. It’s estimated that over the past 25 years, more than three million prohibited gun purchases have been prevented by Brady background checks.

• Under the current law, only those who buy guns from federally licensed firearm dealers are required to undergo a background check. Unlicensed private sellers, including those at gun sales and online, are not required to perform any sort of check. This has led to as many as one in five gun sales taking place without a background check.

• On the state level, 20 states and the District of Columbia have expanded background checks. However, even with stronger laws in place, those states are still at risk from prohibited purchasers who obtain their guns elsewhere and cross state lines.

• Expanded background checks work - states that require background checks on all handgun sales have seen less than half as many mass shooting incidents as states without that expanded requirement, as well as 35% fewer gun deaths per capita. When Connecticut enacted a universal background check system after the Sandy Hook massacre, the state saw a 40% reduction in gun homicides and a 15% reduction in gun suicides.