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In response to the tragic college capturing in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 college students and academics lifeless, and one other mass capturing in Buffalo, New York, the place 10 individuals had been killed, one Newton congressman is backing new gun laws that may increase the age requirement for the acquisition of semiautomatic assault rifles, much like that of an AR-15.
U.S. Home District 4 Rep. Hank Johnson issued an announcement Thursday afternoon, June 2, in help of HR 7910, the Defending Our Youngsters Act of 2022, because it was marked up within the Home Judiciary Committee.
Johnson, who’s a senior member of the Home Judiciary Committee, has served in Congress since 2006 as a Democrat representing Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District, which encompasses elements of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale County. He mentioned the issue of “out-of-control gun violence in America” is one that may not be ignored.
“We should lead. We should act. We should act now,” Johnson mentioned. “Appearing now will take braveness. Every of us on this committee ought to name ahead some semblance of braveness, just like the braveness that was on show final week by these courageous Border Patrol Brokers who put their lives in danger to cease the carnage in Uvalde, Texas.”
Key elements of the invoice embrace:
• Elevating the lawful age to buy a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years outdated. Within the two most up-to-date mass shootings, each alleged gunmen had been 18 years outdated armed with this sort of firearm.
• Establishing a brand new federal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, switch, or possession of a giant capability magazines, with exceptions for sure legislation enforcement makes use of and the possession (however not sale) of grandfathered magazines; enable state and native governments to make use of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Help Grant Program to compensate people who give up giant capability magazines by way of a buyback program.
• Establishing new federal offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchasers and authorize seizure of the property and proceeds of the offense.
• Establishing voluntary finest practices for protected firearm storage; award grants for Protected Firearm Storage Help Packages; present a tax credit score for 10% of quantities obtained from the retail sale of protected storage units.
• Establishing necessities to control the storage of firearms on residential premises; create prison penalties for violation of the necessities.
• Constructing on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) regulatory bump inventory ban by itemizing bump shares beneath the Nationwide Firearms Act and statutorily banning the manufacture, sale or possession of bump shares for civilian use.
• Constructing on ATF’s regulatory ban of ghost weapons by guaranteeing that ghost weapons are topic to present federal firearm regulation by amending the definition of “firearm” to incorporate gun kits and partial receivers and altering the definition of “manufacturing firearms” to incorporate assembling firearms utilizing 3D printing.
Johnson referred to as the laws “a important step ahead in defending our households, communities and colleges” from continued gun violence, however it will take a bipartisan effort to see the invoice push by way of.
“I ask my colleagues on the opposite aspect of the aisle: can you set apart your thirst for energy and muster the braveness to face up for our youngsters and towards the NRA? My buddies, historical past won’t overlook these politicians and the phony patriots who cared extra about sustaining their grip on energy and serving the curiosity of the NRA than they did about defending our youngsters from out-of-control gun violence. Columbine, Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Virginia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, the listing goes on and on. None of those heinous atrocities moved Congress to behave. We should not let Uvalde be the identical. Our constituents must know that we hear from them, and we’ll act on their behalf.
“The actual fact of the matter is that greater than 311,000 college students have skilled gun violence at college since Columbine,” Johnson continued. “This violence, this carnage can’t be what America is all about. The time for minor reforms is gone. Congress should take complete legislative motion to cease the murders of our youngsters. Within the identify of all who’ve perished by the hands of a firearm, we should do one thing. Within the identify of Columbine, we should crackdown on straw purchases. Within the identify of Route 91, let’s ban bump shares. Within the identify of Sandy Hook, Pulse Nightclub, El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, let’s ban high-capacity magazines. Within the identify of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Buffalo, and Uvalde, let’s increase the age of buy to 21 years of age. This misguided pledge that a few of us have of allegiance to weapons, and ‘sure’ to the NRA, it should [end]. It should finish as we speak and now. Not tomorrow, not subsequent yr, however now. For the individuals of the US, demanding significant, efficient motion, let’s move the Defending Our Youngsters Act.”
Based mostly on latest debates held amongst Georgia’s congressional candidates forward of the June 21 runoffs, the possibility of Democrat and Republican lawmakers truly reaching frequent floor on the difficulty seems to be much like that of latest years — slim.
Mike Collins, a candidate for Georgia’s tenth Congressional District Republican nomination, mentioned “there is no such thing as a altering” the nation’s gun legal guidelines. He believes the Second Modification is “written proper.”
As a substitute of modifications to laws, Collins referred to as the issue extra of a “cultural” situation, saying “we’ve eliminated God from each aspect of our life.”
Vernon Jones, additionally vying for Georgia’s tenth Congressional District Republican nomination, agreed with Collins. He mentioned, “America wants extra God, not gun management.” He additionally mentioned the U.S. has set $40 billion in assist to Ukraine in its battle towards Russia and now wants to offer the identical degree of monetary help to the nation’s colleges to fortify them towards future assaults.
Whereas probabilities could also be slim, hope for a bipartisan effort for modifications to gun legal guidelines isn’t utterly misplaced.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, mentioned it will be “embarrassing” if Uvalde didn’t spark Congress to succeed in some kind of bipartisan legislative response, in accordance with a report from Politico, regardless of his staunch help of the Second Modification because it’s written.
Information editor Tom Spigolon contributed to this report.
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