Reducing Gun Violence

It is a moral shame that we have so many ways to prevent gun violence in this country, but we have a Congress who has failed to do anything to protect Americans. I support and have voted for numerous pieces of federal legislation to strengthen gun laws and keep weapons out of the hands of people who should not have them. Americans deserve to live, work, and play in communities, homes, schools, and workplaces that are safe from anyone who wants to turn them into places of violence. I support a ban on assault weapons that are designed to kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time. 

We also need universal background checks. Over 90 percent of Americans support legislation to require background checks for all gun buyers, whether they are purchasing a firearm from a gun store, from a dealer, at a gun show, or on the internet. 

I proudly voted for H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 which would close loopholes in purchasing firearms and ensure we have universal background checks. It is unconscionable that Senate Republicans have refused to even vote on this critical safety measure for our children and all Americans. 

I support a host of gun safety legislation including the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act which would increase protections for victims of domestic abuse, violence, and stalking by barring convicted stalkers from buying or owning firearms and ensuring people who have abused dating partners are prohibited from buying or owning firearms. I also support the e-Gun Violence Restraining Order Act which provides tools to family members to prevent an individual who they fear is a danger to themselves or others from possessing a gun.

As the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, I also strongly believe that Congress should have the data it needs to make sound policy decisions to prevent gun violence. After decades of debate, Congress recently passed legislation this spring to allow the Centers for Disease Control to conduct research on gun violence so we can know how to stop the traumatic effects it has on too many communities in the United States. I was proud to vote for the FY20 spending package which included federal funding for gun violence prevention research for the first time in decades.