Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) issued the following statement on June 24, after President Joe Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The House and Senate passed the legislation the previous week before it went immediately to the President’s desk.
“This is the most significant piece of gun violence prevention legislation passed by Congress in the last three decades. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will help save lives by keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous or unstable individuals, strengthening mental health services, and bolstering school safety.
“For the first time in thirty years, we have finally passed gun control measures to address the ongoing epidemic of gun violence in this country,” said Barragán.
“In recent weeks, communities in Uvalde and Buffalo have joined the long list of American towns and cities impacted by the horrific epidemic of mass shootings and gun violence. This epidemic continues to steal lives, devastate families, and shatter communities across the country. The Supreme Court’s dangerous ruling last week directly threatens California’s strong gun violence prevention policies that keep dangerous weapons off our streets. While this law does not go as far as I would like or that I believe is necessary to truly address the problem – the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will save lives and implement common-sense measures to curb gun violence and keep weapons away from those who pose a danger to themselves and others.
“This is by no means the final step to secure our schools, our streets, and our homes from gun violence, but it is an important step forward to address America’s gun violence epidemic.
Everyone in this country deserves to feel safe, and I will continue to fight in Congress to pass red flag laws at the federal level, ban AR-15s and other weapons of war, restrict magazine capacity, and require background checks on all gun purchases.”
Gun violence in America is responsible for more than 45,000 deaths per year, including almost 3,500 in California alone. Every day, 30 Americans are murdered with a gun – a
