Letter to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi

Letter

Today, Congresswoman Janice Hahn condemned the statement by National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre calling for armed guards in schools as the best way to protect children from gun violence.

"The NRA's effort to deflect attention from the fact that guns made this tragedy possible is outrageous," said Congresswoman Hahn. "Guns kill people. Assault weapons and high capacity clips are purpose-built to kill a lot of people. What are we expecting when we allow people to buy these weapons of mass violence? Until we ban assault weapons and assault clips, these tragedies will keep happening."

"Our schools are not the wild west," continued Congresswoman Hahn. "We need fewer guns in our communities, not more. We need to be doing everything and anything we can to get guns off our streets."

Since January, Congresswoman Hahn has been a proud co-sponsor of H.R. 308, the "Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act," which would ban the types of high capacity ammunition clips used in the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Congresswoman Hahn has called for the reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban.

Today, Congresswoman Hahn and 39 other Members of Congress also called for a $200 million gun buyback program to be included in the eventual deal to resolve the fiscal cliff. The letter Congresswoman Hahn will send to House leadership is copied below:

December 21, 2012

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi,

The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, has stirred much debate around the halls of Congress and around kitchen tables across the nation about what we as a nation can do to prevent such gun violence from tearing apart our communities. One simple action we can take immediately is to follow the successful lead of some cities and States by initiating a one-time gun buyback program aimed at removing the most dangerous firearms from our communities. By including $200 million in the year-end compromise to avert the fiscal cliff, we could remove as many as 1 million guns from our streets.

New Jersey, for example, set a new record for its buyback program just last weekend. In fact, so many residents showed up to turn in hand guns, shotguns, automatic rifles, and other weapons that the state had to issue IOUs after running out of cash on hand. Communities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and many others jurisdictions have registered similar results, and law enforcement officials cite these programs as contributing to a reduction in gun-related violence in their communities.

In addition to signaling our commitment to the public to act decisively in the wake of this national tragedy, including a gun buyback program in the year-end compromise bill could help spur local economic activity. Distributing funding to the States to run buyback programs using pre-paid debit cards with a three-month expiration date could provide a jolt to local economies that have stagnated in the wake of the recession and concerns over the fiscal cliff itself.

We also look forward to engaging with you and our constituents in a thoughtful discussion on such matters as limiting the availability of certain guns and ammunition, the role of background checks and mental health screenings, and other reasonable gun safety initiatives to better protect the public. But the murder of 20 youngsters and six educators in their classrooms has galvanized the public's desire for immediate action, and partnering with the States on a nationwide gun buyback program is a modest, common-sense start.

Sincerely,

Janice Hahn

Member of Congress

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