Washington, DC— Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) stood up today for the families and children of New Jersey's 11th District and voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.This bipartisan gun violence prevention package includes safety provisions that Rep. Sherrill has advocated for during her time as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office, as a Congresswoman, and as a mother of four school-aged children.
"Congress took unprecedentedly swift action in the wake of the Uvalde tragedy to deliver on gun violence prevention policies. For too long, our country has been an outlier amongst our peer nations who have implemented laws that keep their citizens safe from this senseless violence. This public safety package is long overdue.
"This legislation includes commonsense provisions to enhance background checks, invest in mental health resources, help implement extreme risk protection orders, and support community safety. All of these measures are proven to prevent mass shootings like we've seen in the past few weeks.
"This bill is also an important step forward to better protecting survivors of domestic abuse. Current statute only restricts a domestic abuser's access to a firearm if they are married or have a child with the victim. Yet, a 2018 Preventive Medicine study shows that half of intimate partner homicides are committed within unmarried couples. We are now one step closer to closing this loophole.
"As a federal prosecutor, I saw the impact of illegal guns in our communities here in New Jersey and worked to get them off our streets. The provisions in this legislation that crack down on straw gun purchasing and trafficking will make a real difference in curbing the gun violence experienced by Americans every day in cities across the country.
"Unfortunately, as Congress acts to protect our communities, the Supreme Court is rolling back protections in a dangerous and extreme way. Yesterday, the Supreme Court struck down states' rights to regulate limits on concealed carry in public. I will continue to fight for the safety and protection of all Americans from devastating gun violence."
Supporters of this legislation include the National Sheriffs' Association, the National District Attorneys Association, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the American Hospital Association, the Children's Hospital Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Rep. Sherrill is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. She helped to secure the first investment in the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control to study gun violence in 20 years.
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