Brady Welcomes First Congressional Hearing on Gun Safety in Eight Years

Washington, D.C., January 31, 2019 - For the first time in eight years, members of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold a hearing on gun violence prevention, rightfully elevating one of the most important issues to most Americans to a national stage. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence enthusiastically welcomed the hearing, noting a number of priority issues that the House Judiciary Committee can take action on in the 116th Congress.

Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign, stated,

“The American public made their voices heard last November in electing a Congress that cares about gun safety more than gun industry profits, and they are leading the charge to take real action to address the epidemic of gun violence. We are excited about next week’s hearing, the first in Congress to focus on proactive gun safety measures in almost a decade, but we’re even more excited about the next hearing, the one after that, and the one after that. Gun safety is an issue that isn’t going away, and we finally have a Congress that recognizes that and is willing to confront it head on. We look forward to working with the House Judiciary Committee to finally address commonsense solutions that our entire country can unite behind.”

Significant public attention has been paid to H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019, and S. 42, the Background Check Expansion Act - bills that Brady wholeheartedly support that would expand Brady Background Checks to cover private sales. Additionally, a number of other gun safety issues exist that the House Judiciary Committee can explore in the coming months and years. Those include:

• Banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines;
• Outlawing “ghost guns” and 3D-printed guns;
• Promoting responsible gun ownership to end family fire;
• Passing extreme risk laws to protect people in crisis;
• Holding hearings on oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF);
• Investigating ATF enforcement of “bad apple” gun dealers; and
• Repealing PLCAA to hold the gun industry accountable.

“Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action” will be held on Wednesday, February 6th at 10am at 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.