GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Gun violence is a public safety and a public health crisis that we must address.

This issue is devastating and personal to so many. Sadly, I have met with members of our community who have lost loved ones to gun violence. While as a veteran, I support the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership, as a mother, it breaks my heart to see the consistency with which we lose members of our community to gun violence. As an engineer, the data screams at me: the prevalence of guns in this country causes unnecessary deaths. In 2019 alone, more than 1,500 gun deaths were reported in Pennsylvania. For the sake of our communities, and for the sake of generations to come, we have to do better. That’s why I am a strong supporter of urgently moving common-sense gun safety legislation through Congress.

In Congress, I am working to address the epidemic of gun violence in America by:

  • Passing the first gun safety legislation in 28 years. In the House, I helped pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The bill will strengthen background checks for buyers under 21, fund the enforcement of red flag laws, and invest in community intervention and mental health services. This bill is a great start, and we must do more.

  • Pushing for universal background checks and limiting high-capacity magazines. We have to do a better job of keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. That is why I co-sponsored and voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, as well as the Enhanced Background Checks Act, both of which passed the House but have yet to make it through the Senate. I have also cosponsored the Disarm Hate Act, which prevents people convicted of hate crimes from buying a gun.

  • Shining a spotlight on the issue. In my first year in Congress, I joined the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. That same year, I was honored to be joined at the State of the Union by a mother from our own community who tragically lost her teenage daughter to gun violence. The only way we will build the will to address gun violence is by discussing it.

  • Helping families who have been afflicted by gun violence. Unfortunately, far too much damage has already been inflicted by gun violence, and we need to support those who have been harmed. I co-sponsored the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act to aid families who have lost a loved one to gun violence.