Congresswoman Scanlon Votes for Common Sense Gun Safety Bills to Save Lives

Press Release

This week, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) voted to protect Pennsylvania communities and save lives with strong, constitutional gun violence prevention legislation. The House passed both the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act with bipartisan support.

The Protecting Our Kids Act contains several common sense gun safety measures that will crack down on illegal gun trafficking, keep weapons of war out of the hands of teenagers, strengthen safe gun storage, restrict access to untraceable "ghost guns," and more. The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act empowers family members and law enforcement to seek a federal court order to temporarily remove access to guns from those who pose a danger to themselves or others while providing them with due process protections, and also incentivizes states to adopt their own so-called "red flag laws."

"It is abundantly clear that the current approach to gun violence in this country is not working," said Rep. Scanlon. "My constituents in PA-05 are demanding change because the gun violence epidemic in America is only getting worse, and they know we can do something to shift course. We all know it in our guts. The House has taken a step in the right direction this week, passing both the Protecting Our Kids Act and Extreme Risk Protection Act with bipartisan support."

Gun violence is responsible for more than 45,000 deaths per year in America, including 1,752 in Pennsylvania alone. Every day, 30 Americans are murdered with a gun. When counting suicides and accidental shootings, more than 100 Americans die by firearms every day.

Rep. Scanlon added: "It is outrageous that gun violence is now the leading killer of children in our nation. Not only are we witnessing a disturbing drumbeat of mass shootings, but our communities are forever scarred by the daily gun violence that rarely makes the headlines. This is not about being pro- or anti-gun. Gun violence is not a partisan issue, it's a sickness infecting this whole country."

The gun violence epidemic has continued to tear through communities in Pennsylvania and across the country. Last month, Americans were horrified by mass shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and a supermarket in Buffalo -- both carried out by 18-year-olds legally armed with semi-automatic assault rifles. Just this past weekend, at least 13 mass shootings terrorized more communities across the country, including Philadelphia.

"The needle on this issue has moved, and it's not going back," said Rep. Scanlon. "The only question now is whether the Senate is ready to listen to the American people rather than the NRA. I am hopeful this time will be different, that we can finally pass meaningful gun violence prevention laws and send them to President Biden's desk."

The Protecting Our Kids Act takes key steps to address the gun violence crisis and safeguard Pennsylvanians' wellbeing. This bold legislative package includes several measures, including:

The Raise the Age Act raises the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons to 21 years old. Currently, someone can buy a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon of choice in many mass shootings, at just 18 years old -- yet you must be 21 to buy a less-lethal handgun.
The Prevent Gun Trafficking Act cracks down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets.
The Untraceable Firearms Act would subject ghost gun purchases to background check requirements.
The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act closes the bump stock loophole to ban these deadly tools from civilian use.
The Keep Americans Safe Act outlaws high-capacity magazines, which are designed for killing en masse and have been the accessory of choice in the bloodiest mass shootings.
Ethan's Law strengthens safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.

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