Patch, 5/25/2022- Chester County U.S. Lawmaker Calls For Strengthening Gun Control

By Holly Herman

WEST CHESTER - U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan Wednesday called on the U.S. Senate to pass proposed legislation that would strengthen gun control to show the students and educators that Congress cares about their lives.

Houlahan, a Democrat representing all of Chester County and southeastern Berks County, issued the request following the slaying at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday of 19 children and two adults at Robb elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

House bill, HR 1446, known as the Enhanced Background Checks, passed the House on March 11, 2021. The Senate put the bill on the calendar Tuesday night.

The legislation would increase the amount of time, from three business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person.

Houlahan, a veteran, said change starts with the Senate Republicans considering the proposed legislation

"The refusal of Republicans in the Senate to consider this legislation is, in no uncertain terms, deadly," Houlahan said in a prepared statement. "I stand ready, again, to work with my colleagues on action of any kind and show our students and educators we care.

"To the small number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle willing to find a way forward: thank you.

" Our divisions have paralyzed us as a nation, and it's the children who are paying the price with their lives. We owe it to them, to this country we love, to recommit ourselves as relentless advocates for reducing the scourge of gun violence."