Congressman Blumenauer agrees with President Obama that we must confront the tragic epidemic of gun violence that all Americans face. Congress has been paralyzed on this issue for far too long. He supports the President's efforts to strengthen the current background check system for purchasing firearms, working with mental health professionals to educate them about their rights to report credible threats of violence, and helping schools develop emergency preparedness plans.
As a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Blumenauer supports these proposals as part of a comprehensive policy approach to reduce gun violence. Among legislative actions, he advocates implementing a universal gun purchasing background check, restoring a ban on military-style assault weapons, and putting in place a 10-round limit for magazines. He also believes Congress should strengthen laws that punish people who buy guns with the express purpose of selling them to criminals.
Of specific importance is the framing of gun violence as a public health crisis. Blumenauer has long supported ending the freeze on gun violence research as it relates to public health. For years, Congress has subjected the Center for Disease Control to restrictions ensuring it does not "advocate or promote gun control." This has been interpreted as a restriction on the CDC from conducting any research on the causes of gun violence. Congress should provide the necessary resources to the CDC to fund research on the causes and effects of gun violence, and should permanently eliminate any law that restricts such research.
Blumenauer also supports increased funding for mental health services. He was an early cosponsor and champion of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which passed the House in 2008 and requires strengthens group health insurance plans coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in December 2012, Congressman Blumenauer urged the administration to finalize the rules for this law so that every American can have and afford mental health services. Through his work as Co-Chair of the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus, Blumenauer has also raised awareness for and support of groundbreaking research aimed at improving mental health and reducing addiction.
In December of 2012, an individual armed with an AR-15 opened fire at Clackamas Town Center, a shopping mall in Oregon, firing as many as 60 shots, killing two people and seriously wounding a third person before committing suicide. Congressman Blumenauer received the following correspondence from a constituent, which he asked permission to share, about how the experience changed his perspective on the need for new gun safety legislation