Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today spoke from the floor in support of and then voted for the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. The measure establishes nationwide access to extreme risk protection orders through the federal courts to ensure that those who pose a threat to themselves or others do not have access to firearms.
The vote on passage was 224 to 202.
In his speech during debate on the bill, Congressman Cohen said in part:
“Since the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut about 10 years ago, we have not enacted any substantive firearms restrictions to prevent children from being slaughtered in our schools. In fact, not just since the massacre of first-graders and their educators at Sandy Hook Elementary, but in the 20 years since the shooting at Columbine High School, we have not enacted any new meaningful restrictions on firearms. We have an obligation to protect our constituents. We have a responsibility to keep the American people safe. After each of these instances, we hear from our friends across the aisle that we need must to address mental health. I agree. We must prevent those who are intent on harming themselves or others from having access to dangerous weapons. That is why I support this thoughtful proposal, balancing public safety and the individual’s due process rights. Let’s just take the recent massacre in Uvalde, Texas. Should there have been a law like this in place, perhaps the gunman could have been stopped. There were plenty of warning signs…
“As Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee, I take the Constitution’s due process guarantee very seriously. In this legislation, a court would need to make an individualized determination, looking at specific facts, before issuing an order. A full hearing is required in 72 hours. This legislation is absolutely necessary – and I urge all my colleagues to support it – but not sufficient. We have a moral obligation to act. Yesterday, this body, with a bipartisan vote, adopted the Protecting our Kids Act which would make meaningful updates to our nation’s gun laws. I believe we must go much further and also reenact the Assault Weapons ban. These bills would make a meaningful difference in gun violence in the United States and save American lives.
“God would not look kindly upon the use of weapons to kill his children as happened in Uvalde, Texas. Our votes are not political calculations; they are our obligation. We have a duty to protect God’s children.”
Original source can be found here.
