Political Quotes

“I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Thompson-King-Esty-Heck amendment to increase funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Checks Systems (NICS). The NICS database provides critical information on prospective firearms buyers, protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. Information in the database is used to determine whether an individual is ineligible to purchase a firearm because they are a felon, a domestic abuser, or seriously mentally ill. The NICS database allows sellers to conduct criminal background checks to make sure firearms are not getting into the hands of people who may be a danger to the public or even themselves. Unfortunately, many states do not have adequate funding and resources to submit the most recent and comprehensive data to the NICS database. Our amendment would increase funding for NICS by $19.5 million to meet the growing demand from states to responsibly update the database. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, criminal background checks have blocked more than 2.1 million illegal gun purchases, including more than 291,000 by domestic abusers. Background checks prevent more than 171 convicted felons from purchasing firearms every single day. These simple checks have saved countless lives in the past two decades, and it is essential that states have the necessary tools to prevent more tragedies in the future. I thank my good friends Rep. Mike Thompson, Rep.…”