Upton Votes for Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today issued the following statement after voting for the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bill to improve public safety through gun safety, school safety and mental health reforms:

"Today we turn tears into action and give our thoughts and prayers meaning. Our children deserve to go to school and know they will come home safely. Our parents deserve to know their children can learn without having to calculate risk. And our teachers deserve to teach without having to risk their lives.

"The vote today was bipartisan because there are those of us across the Capitol who realize we have a real problem and doing the same old nothing is not a solution. This is a well thought out bill that addresses mental health, incentivizes states to pass red flag procedures, closes the boyfriend loophole, all while still maintaining the right for law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.

"It is fitting that one-month-to the-day after the tragedy at Uvalde, Congress is sending this bill to the president to sign into law. It shouldn't have taken Uvalde, the school shooting at Oxford in Oakland County, the shooting rampage by an Uber driver in Kalamazoo or so many other mass shootings over the years to get to this point. But I am proud to be part of the bipartisan group of lawmakers who supported commonsense reforms to address this problem."

S. 2938, the Safer Communities Act, is backed by law enforcement, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the National District Attorneys Association. It also has the support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Following Thursday's bipartisan Senate vote, 65 to 33, the House passed the bill 234 to 193. It is expected to be signed into law by President Biden as soon as tomorrow.

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