Democrats just led the way in turning the Safer Communities Act into law, and it will save countless lives. But Republicans still stand in the way of more needed reforms.?We must push to get weapons of war off our streets, which means passing common sense reforms, like banning the sale of assault weapons and firearms with high-capacity magazines. We have more work to do until we keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

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Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) reaffirmed her commitment to put People Over Politics and continue her work to pass commonsense gun violence prevention legislation that requires background checks for all gun sales, closes the loopholes that let dangerous people get guns, bans assault weapons, and keeps our children safe.

“Gun violence is a public health crisis that claims far too many lives. Families across America feel its impacts every day. In my own state, Parkland and Orlando suffered horrific mass shootings, stealing dozens of innocent lives, and upending entire communities in its wake,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Democrats just led the way in turning the Safer Communities Act into law, and it will save countless lives. But Republicans still stand in the way of more needed reforms.We must push to get weapons of war off our streets, which means passing common sense reforms, like banning the sale of assault weapons and firearms with high-capacity magazines. We have more work to do until we keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”

On average, 2,849 people die from gun violence, and 5,267 are injured by guns each year in Florida. Taking a broader approach to safety, Wasserman Schultz is fighting for safer communities by building solid strategies to prevent school shootings and stop illegal ammunition purchases. She has introduced two bills herself to do that:

• Jaime’s Law: Enforcescurrent federal law to prevent prohibited purchasers access to ammunition by requiring all purchasers of ammunition to undergo an instant background check, using the FBI National Instant Background Check System (NICS), the same quick and easy process that applies to the purchase of firearms.
• School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act: Allows the public and policymakers to gain a complete and accurate picture of gun violence in and around our school campuses and provide actionable data to build effective strategies to prevent bloodshed at America’s places of learning. This bill has three principal priorities:
  • Defines “mass shooting” and “school shooting” for the first time in federal law;
  • Directs the Department of Education, in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, to annually report on school safety indicators for school shootings; and
  • Directs the Department of Education to collect the safety and prevention protocols in place at a school at the time of the shooting, like building designs, communication, and response plans.

Wasserman Schultz supports a range of commonsense gun violence prevention laws, including legislation to require background checks for all gun sales, close loopholes that let dangerous people get guns, ban assault weapons, and keep our children safe that House Democrats voted to pass in Congress, including:

• The Bipartisan Background Checks Act: Establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties, closing loopholes that allow criminals and abusers to buy weapons unchecked. Nearly every House Republican voted against this commonsense, bipartisan measure to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.
• Enhanced Background Checks Act: Closes the Charleston loophole, which allows dealers to transfer a firearm to a buyer after 3 business days if the FBI background check has not been completed. Nearly every House Republican voted against closing a loophole that allows guns to get into the hands of people who are legally barred from owning guns. 
• The Protecting Our Kids Act: Raises the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old, outlaws high-capacity magazines, requires the safe storage of firearms, and bans bump stocks and untraceable and deadly ghost guns. Nearly every House Republican voted against making our communities safer for our kids.
• The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act: Keeps guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others through a federal red-flag program. Nearly every House Republican voted against this life-saving legislation that protects victims of domestic abuse.
• The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022: Bans military-style weapons, such as AR-15s, and high-capacity ammunition magazines that have been used in many mass shootings. Nearly every House Republican voted to keep these weapons of war on the streets.

Extreme MAGA Republicans continue to oppose life-saving gun violence prevention legislation at every turn, siding with the gun lobby – not the vast majority of Americans who support laws, like universal background checks, that would help prevent these recurring tragedies.

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