Rep. Demings on Senate Gun Deal

Press Release

Today Rep. Val Demings (FL-10) voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation to expand mental health support, secure schools, and offer incentives for state-level red flag laws.

Said Rep. Demings, "We must do everything within our power to stop innocent people from being gunned down in innocent places. This legislation is not enough but it is something. Any elected official who cares about protecting our communities should support this legislation. Instead, many will shamefully vote to allow stalkers, domestic abusers, and violent criminals to continue putting our communities in harm's way.

"But as a former chief of police, I know all too well that we have more work to do. The reduction of gun violence continues to be a top priority. The passage of this legislation in no way lets those in the pocket of the gun lobby off the hook.

"America can do great things when we choose to, but we need leaders with the courage to protect our communities, not shamelessly cater to the gun lobby while thousands more Americans die. We passed real, meaningful bills to save lives though the House that the Senate could vote on right now. Our work is not done."

Background

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes:

* Support to help states set up Risk Protection Order laws, otherwise known as "Red Flag" laws, similar to Florida's successful program.
* Closing the "boyfriend loophole" to stop stalkers and people convicted of domestic violence from getting guns.
· According to Everytown for Gun Violence, every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner, and in more than half of mass shootings over the past decade, the perpetrator shot a current or former intimate partner or family member.
* Enhanced background checks for gun buyers under age 21
· According to the Washington Post, six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger
* New penalties for straw gun purchasing and a federal ban on gun trafficking
* Support for community behavioral health centers that treat substance and mental health disorders
* Funding for school-based mental health services
* Funding for health provider support, training, and telehealth to expand pediatric treatment options and trauma support.
* Funding for school safety and security, and violence interrupting programs
* Clarifying the definition of a Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer to ensure that all gun dealers follow the same rules

Rep. Demings is a Vice-Chair of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Gun violence is the #1 cause of death for children in the United States. A study reviewing gun deaths in 29 high-income countries found that 97% of all gun deaths among children 4 years old or younger happened in the United States, with the other 28 countries combined making up the remaining 3%.

Rep. Demings cosponsored H.R.2377 -- the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. The legislation will empower federal courts to issue federal extreme risk protection orders, also known as "Red Flags" that allow law enforcement officers to protect families and the community from individuals likely to cause harm to themselves or others. A federal extreme risk protection order is a federal court order that prohibits a person from purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition. Florida passed a Red Flag law following the Parkland shooting. "Florida judges have acted more than 8,000 times to keep guns out of the hands of people authorities deemed a risk to themselves or others."

Rep. Demings supported the Protecting Our Kids Act, a legislative package that closes loopholes in America's gun laws. It would:

* Raise the age for purchasing a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21
* Restrict large-capacity magazines (Rep. Demings previously cosponsored this legislation)
* Establish requirements regulating the safe storage of firearms (Rep. Demings previously cosponsored a portion of this legislation)
* Expand the ban on bump stocks, gun modifications that help enable mass shootings. (Rep. Demings previously led legislation including this provision)
* Restrict access to ghost guns, which are untraceable firearms favored by criminals (Rep. Demings previously cosponsored this legislation)

Rep. Demings led the Protecting Our Communities Act, legislation grouping several high-profile gun safety bills to:

* Regulate "ghost guns" by requiring gun kits to include a serial number and a background check to complete a sale;
* Regulate concealable assault rifles which fire armor-piercing ammunition and were specifically designed by gun manufacturers to circumvent the National Firearms Act;
* Help states enforce existing laws by requiring federal authorities to alert state and local law enforcement within 24 hours when an ineligible individual lies on a background check and tries to purchase a firearm; and
* Codify the last Administration's "bump stock' final rule to regulate bump stocks, which allow modification of a weapon to enable rapid firing.

Rep. Demings led the Law Enforcement Protection Act, legislation to regulate concealable armor piercing assault rifles.

* These types of weapons are concealable and fire armor-piercing ammunition--making them as lethal as an assault rifle. Gun manufacturers have used technical loopholes to design unregulated concealable assault weapons that can penetrate body armor worn by police officers and kill dozens of people in minutes. This legislation will regulate these weapons as we already do other similar firearms.
* They are specifically designed by gun manufacturers to circumvent the National Firearms Act (NFA)--a federal law regulating the manufacture, transfer, and possession of firearms. Their concealability and lethality make them especially dangerous for law enforcement personnel.
* The Law Enforcement Protection Act would add armor-piercing, concealable weapons as a category under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

Rep. Demings cosponsored legislation to close the loopholes in our background check system:

* The Bipartisan Background Checks Act will extend the existing background check requirement for gun purchases conducted by licensed dealers to all purchases, including private sales, unlicensed dealer sales, online sales, and gun show sales. There are a number of exceptions in the bill to cover certain private, temporary transfers, such for hunting purposes.
* The Enhanced Background Checks Act would close the Charleston Loophole. Current law allows a dealer to transfer a firearm to a purchaser after 3 business days if the background check has not been completed. In 2016 this loophole allowed 4,170 guns to be sold to people who should not have been able to buy a gun. In 2015, this included the shooter in the mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
* Background checks are supported by well over 90 percent of the American people -- including 90 percent of gun-owning households, as well as dozens of leading law enforcement, veterans, local government, public health and other groups

Source