Rep. Thompson Joins Leader Pelosi, Advocates and Families Across America to Mark National Day of Action for Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5), Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, today recognized the National Day of Action for Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15), law enforcement officers, medical professionals, community leaders, advocates, survivors of gun violence, families and kids at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

The National Day of Action for Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention comes after House Democrats sat-in for 26 hours on the House Floor last week to demand that Speaker Ryan and House Republicans allow an immediate vote on bipartisan, commonsense gun violence prevention legislation to help keep guns out of dangerous hands. After Republican Leadership recessed the House of Representatives last week without taking a vote to prevent gun violence, House Democrats held events across our country today to give voice to the overwhelming majority of Americans who want to see Congress take action to curb the epidemic of gun violence in our country.

"Today, Americans across our country -- from San Francisco, to Chicago, to Baltimore and everywhere in between -- came together for a National Day of Action on Gun Violence Prevention to demand that Congress put partisan politics aside and do what it takes to help keep our communities safe," said Rep. Thompson. "Because whether it's in a movie theater, on a college campus, at an elementary school, in a church, in a nightclub, or on the streets of our cities -- we've lost too many innocent lives to gun violence and we can't sit back and do nothing while more lives are cut short. The time for action is now. My colleagues and I won't give up until Republican Leadership gives us a vote on bipartisan, commonsense legislation to make sure suspected terrorists don't have easy access to guns and to close dangerous loopholes in our criminal background check system."

House Democrats are calling on Speaker Ryan and House Republicans to allow an immediate vote on two bills:

The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation (H.R. 1217) to close a loophole in our background check system that allows criminals, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill to bypass a background check in thirty-four states when purchasing guns online or at a gun show; and

The bipartisan "No Fly, No Buy' bill (H.R. 1076) to prohibit individuals on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorists Watchlist from being able to legally purchase guns.

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