Washington, DC — U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA), member of the House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday joined his Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing the bipartisan Protecting Our Kids Act. This gun violence prevention legislation includes common sense measures supported by the American people that will significantly reduce gun violence and save lives.
“Today’s gun safety legislation will limit the most dangerous people from accessing the most dangerous weapons,” said Swalwell. “Our kids are vulnerable every day to being shot in their classroomsAnn. We must choose, are we for our kids or their killers? Today’s passage shows that House Democrats are protecting our kids.”
Annually, over 3,150 Californians are killed by firearms averaging 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
The “Protecting Our Kids Act” would:
- raise the lawful age to purchase a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years old.
- establish a new federal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large capacity magazines, with exceptions for certain law enforcement uses and the possession (but not sale) of grandfathered magazines.
- establish new federal offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchasers and authorize seizure of the property and proceeds of the offense.
- establish voluntary best practices for safe firearm storage; award grants for Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Programs; provide a tax incentive to dealers for 10% of amounts received from the sale of safe storage devices.
- establish requirements to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises; create criminal penalties for violation of the requirements.
- build on the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms regulatory bump stock ban by listing bump stocks under the National Firearms Act (like machine guns) and statutorily banning the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump stocks for civilian use.
- build on the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms regulatory ban of ghost guns by ensuring that ghost guns are subject to existing federal firearm regulation by amending the definition of “firearm” to include gun kits and partial receivers and changing the definition of “manufacturing firearms” to include assembling firearms using 3D printing.
It passed the House by a vote of 223-204. It will now go to the Senate.
This was a press release from Congressman Eric Swalwells office after the vote
