Representative Henry A. Waxman 30th District of California

According to Physicians for Social Responsibility, the cost of gun violence in the United States each year is more than $100 billion.  While gun violence is the result of many factors, the availability of guns to children, felons and mentally unstable individuals is a major problem.   

Representative Waxman supports common-sense gun control measures that keep deadly weapons out of the hands of criminals, children and other high-risk individuals. He supports reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, requirements for child safety locks on handguns, increased requirements for background checks at gun shows and stronger regulation of high-powered .50 caliber weapons.  

In the 111^th Congress, Representative Waxman is a cosponsor of H.R. 2324, the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009, which would require background checks for firearm transfers at guns shows.  He is also cosponsor of H.R.  2159, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act.  In addition, in the 110^th Congress, the Congressman cosponsored H.R. 2640 , the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-180), which reauthorized a program that identifies individuals who have been disqualified from owning a firearm because of an existing criminal record or documented mental illness, and H.R 1022, Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act, which would  have reauthorized the assault weapons ban for an additional ten years.  Representative Waxman looks forward to supporting legislation to reauthorize the assault weapons ban when it is reintroduced in the 111^th Congress.