Gun Violence Prevention

Firearms are used to kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. As a former prosecutor whose father is a retired police officer and whose two younger brothers currently serve in law enforcement, I have witnessed first-hand the damage guns cause. Indeed our whole a nation has seen too many mass shootings in cities from Newtown, to Aurora, to Tuscon, to Orlando. It is time to act to prevent this type of violence - for if we fail to act, nothing will change.

At the same time, I am the son and brother of hunters and gun owners. I know that guns can be used responsibly and the Second Amendment provides individuals certain rights to own firearms.

I support common sense reforms to prevent gun violence and make Americans safer. We need to keep dangerous weapons off of our streets, improve our background check system, make sure the mentally ill receive the treatment they need, and provide schools the required resources to keep our children secure. We can’t take hatred out of hearts, but we can do more to keep deadly weapons out of hateful hands.

What I am Doing for You

In the 114th Congress:

I cosponsored H.R. 1217, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015. This bipartisan bill would expand the federal background check system to cover all commercial firearm sales, including those at gun shows, over the internet, or in classified ads, while providing some exceptions for family and friend transfers. (I cosponsored this as H.R. 1565 in the 113th Congress.)

I cosponsored H.R. 1076, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act. This bipartisan “no fly, no buy” bill would deny people on the terrorist watch list the ability to purchase a firearm.

I cosponsored H.R. 4269, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015. This bill would ban certain assault weapons, similar to existing California law, and ban ammunition feeding devise holding more than 10 rounds. (I cosponsored a similar bill, H.R. 437, in the 113th Congress.)

In the 113th Congress:

I cosponsored H.R. 431, the Gun Transparency and Accountability (Gun TRAC) Act. This bill would improve the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to track illegal guns.

Rep. Swalwell speaks during House Democrats’ sit-in for gun reform legislation, June 2016.