REP THOMPSON STATEMENT ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS SENDING MEMBERS HOME WITHOUT A VOTE TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) issued the following statement after Republican Leadership recessed the House of Representatives for seven weeks on Thursday without taking a single vote to address gun violence.

“It’s wrong, it’s irresponsible and it’s dangerous for Republican Leadership to send us home without taking a vote to help stop the mass gun violence that’s become far too common in our country,” said Thompson. “More than 30 people are killed every day by someone using a gun. Doing the math, that means by the time the House comes back from the summer recess in 52 days, over 1,560 Americans may have been killed by someone using a gun. We can’t wait for more innocent lives to be cut short by someone using a gun. We need to vote on bipartisan, pro-second Amendment legislation to help keep guns away from those who shouldn’t have them: terrorists, criminals, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill. And we need to vote now.”

House Democrats have been calling on Republican Leadership to allow a vote on bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment legislation, specifically:

• The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation (H.R. 1217) to close a loophole in our background check system that allows criminals, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill to bypass a background check in thirty-four states when purchasing guns online, at a gun show or through a classified ad;
• The bipartisan ‘No Fly, No Buy’ bill (H.R. 1076) to prohibit individuals on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Terrorists Watchlist from being able to legally purchase guns.