Joe Morelle: “I thank the distinguished gentleman with whom I have the privilege of serving on the Rules Committee for his…”

“I thank the distinguished gentleman with whom I have the privilege of serving on the Rules Committee for his distinguished leadership of that committee and for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, I rise today to applaud the work of the Appropriations Committee in finally upholding our obligation to invest in gun violence prevention. The legislation before us this week would increase funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives by over 9 percent. That additional funding will enable ATF to train more agents and hire more inspectors to fulfill the agency's mission of keeping illegal firearms out of criminal hands. More than 30 percent of guns identified in a crime have been stolen, yet ATF has long been denied the resources to properly inspect Federally licensed firearms dealers and respond to the flow of illegal guns onto our streets. This funding and the additional personnel it can provide will help ATF reach its inspection goals and enforce our existing gun laws, making communities across the Nation safer. Madam Speaker, I thank the committee for their hard work, and I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying bill.”