On the recordJuly 7, 2016
My home State of Massachusetts has enacted some of the most comprehensive gun violence prevention laws in the Nation, including universal background checks. Thanks to these commonsense reforms, Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the Nation. Nevertheless, lax gun laws in other States make us a net importer of firearms, and we are certainly not immune from the tragic impacts of gun violence. Americans have a right to be free from violence in our own communities, in our homes, in our schools, in our churches, and in our workplace. But it is clear that the States cannot do it alone. Congress must do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill. You can't know if someone falls into one of these categories without a background check. Mr. Speaker, our constituents sent us here to cast a vote on their behalf, and that is what we should be doing. Let us have a vote on commonsense, bipartisan legislation that allows background checks for all gun sales. ____________________
