Congressman Lowenthal Votes To Pass Major Gun Safety Legislation

Statement

Congressman Alan Lowenthal (C-47) today issued the following statement on his votes in the House to successfully pass two major pieces of gun safety legislation -- H.R. 8, which will strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and H.R. 1112, which will close certain gun purchase loopholes:

"I have been fighting for gun safety legislation for more than three decades. Despite the fact that our nation has been in the throes of a gun violence epidemic for years, it took a new majority in Congress to bring meaningful gun safety legislation to a vote.

Here in America, people can't go to work, the movies, a concert--they can't even go to school--without worrying that they could find themselves caught in the middle of the next mass shooting.

And that's to say nothing of the hundreds of other shootings that happen every single day. The ones that most of us don't hear about but are still tragedies of this epidemic that cut lives short and rip families apart all the same.

H.R. 8 and H.R. 112, bills I proudly voted for, won't solve the gun violence problem on their own--but together they make up an incredibly important, commonsense first step.

Consideration of these proposals is long overdue, but I am relieved that finally, under this new Congress, they are being given the attention that the vast majority of Americans believe they deserve. After all, it is everyday Americans we've been elected to represent and protect--NOT the gun lobby.

I am proud that we have taken a first step toward eradicating this devastating problem."

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