The U.S. House passed, in bipartisan fashion, technically speaking, the Protecting Our Kids Act, a package of gun violence prevention legislation that represents some of the broadest action to address mass shootings and save lives undertaken by either chamber of Congress in nearly three decades.
The vote was 223-204, with five Republican voting in favor, and two Democrats voting against the package.
Details
The Protecting Our Kids Act includes the following gun violence prevention measures:
- Raise the Age Act. This legislation would raise the lawful, federal age to purchase certain assault-style rifles from 18 to 21 years old.
- Prevent Gun Trafficking Act. To combat illegal gun purchases and transfers, this bill would create new federal offenses for the use of “straw purchasers.” By establishing this new law, straw purchasing would be prosecuted as an independent offense.
- Keep Americans Safe Act. This bill would establish new federal offenses for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of large-capacity magazines — with exceptions for certain law enforcement uses and the possession (but not sale) of grandfathered magazines.
- Untraceable Firearms Act. Ghost guns are firearms that lack serials numbers, meaning they are untraceable and not subject to existing federal firearm laws. This legislation would make sure ghost guns are subject to existing federal firearm regulation by amending the definition of “firearm” under federal law to include gun kits and partial receivers, as well as changing the definition of “manufacturing firearms” to include firearms assembled using 3-D printing.
- Ethan’s Law. This legislation would set federal standards for safe gun storage on residential premises — while also giving states incentives to create and implement safe gun storage laws. The legislation’s namesake, Ethan Song, was 15 years old when he accidentally shot and killed himself with an unsecured firearm in a friend’s home.
- Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act. This bill would impose a penalty of up to five years in prison if a minor who is ineligible to possess a firearms accesses an unsecured firearm and then causes injury or death.
- Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act. A bump stock allows an assault-style weapon to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger. This legislation would define bump stocks, list them under the National Firearms Act, and ban the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump stocks for civilian use.
- Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act. This legislation would require the U.S. attorney general to establish best practices for the safe storage of firearms.
Virginia lawmakers weigh in
“In the wake of horrific mass shootings, the American people require and deserve action from their leaders to prevent gun violence. The House is meeting that urgent need with this legislation,” said Eighth District Democrat Don Beyer. “The measures in this bill would address mass shootings as well as the gun violence that claims lives every day without making headlines, including suicides and accidents. With the bills we are passing this week – including tomorrow’s vote on the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act – and previously passed legislation to ensure a background check is completed on every gun sale, the House will have taken more action to prevent gun violence this session than either chamber has done in a generation. I will continue working with my colleagues to do all I can to save lives from the scourge of gun violence.”
“In Coastal Virginia, we know the immense pain and loss experienced in Uvalde, Buffalo, Laguna Hills, Tulsa, and communities across the country that have suffered the tragedy of a mass shooting,” Second District Democrat Elaine Luria said. “As a 20-year Navy veteran, I believe we must strike the right balance between responsible gun ownership and the safety of our communities, and I was proud to support the bipartisan, commonsense reforms passed today that will keep our children, churches, and communities safe from gun violence and mass shootings. Gun violence is an epidemic that plagues our nation, and I urge the Senate to act now on legislation that will make America safer.”
“The American people expect action from their lawmakers — particularly as we grasp the horrors of the slaughter in Uvalde, the attack in a Buffalo supermarket, and dozens of mass shootings across the country in recent weeks. The provisions in this legislation are straightforward, and they make sense to Virginia’s gun owners and non-gun owners alike,” Seventh District Democrat Abigail Spanberger said. “As someone who previously carried a gun for my job every day, I understand the responsibility that comes with carrying a firearm. The individual provisions in the Protecting Our Kids Act would demonstrate responsible steps towards keeping our communities safe. As the U.S. Senate continues its negotiations, I will continue to be a vocal supporter of commonsense gun violence prevention measures. In our district, we have seen the horrors of gun violence against Virginians — and I take these votes in honor of their stories.”
Story by Chris Graham
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