Judiciary, Crime, and Guns
Standing up for the safety of our communities is something that I have been doing since my earliest days in the House of Representatives. On February 16, 1993, I stood in the well of the House of Representatives and said,
“I believe the threat and danger of semi-automatic assault weapons in this country are grossly understated.”
In the wake of national tragedies at Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary and Aurora, Colorado, and many others, and the senseless killings that occur in the City of Chicago week after week – my words have sadly been proven only too true.
The very first legislation that I introduced in the House banned the domestic manufacturing and transfer of semi-automatic assault weapons. Shortly thereafter, I introduced legislation to prohibit the possession or transfer of Junk Guns, called Saturday Night Specials. I supported the Assault Weapons Ban when it passed in 1994 and stand ready to support efforts again in the 113th Congress to reinstate the ban in the wake of too many horrific acts of violence. I do not believe that having military-grade weapons like assault rifles or semi-automatic weapons with large magazines available to the general public makes our streets or communities safer.
On Mar. 5, 2013, I reintroduced the Junk Gun Ban, H.R. 965. This legislation addresses cheap, poorly made handguns that are prone to misfire and malfunction and disproportionately used in crime. Most of the crimes committed on streets across the country are with handguns and this is a particularly dangerous subset of handguns that are manufactured in the U.S. but not subject to the same design and safety requirements that similar handguns must meet in order to be imported into the U.S.
As a member of the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, I look forward to working with my colleagues like Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers and Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Bobby Scott on legislation to prevent unconscionable mass shootings and gun violence.
More on Judiciary, Crime, and Guns
“Special Registration” Of Asians And Africans Was A Bad Idea When Bush Tried It And A Bad Idea Today
Washington, DC – It has been reported that President-elect Trump is considering reinstituting NSEERS, or “Special Registration” – a program that required people from certain countries with large Muslim populations to come forward and be registered with the federal government. A senior Trump advisor and a leader of the transition team, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, designed the plan when he was a key lieutenant to Attorney General John Ashcroft in the months after 9/11. It was a moral, civil rights, due process, and law enforcement disaster.
November 18, 2016
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Washington, DC – Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) issued a statement today in reaction to the news that Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions of Alabama would be President-elect Trump’s pick as Attorney General.
July 13, 2016
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Washington, DC – Today on the floor of the House during Morning Business, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) spoke about the last Puerto Rican political prisoner held in a federal prison, Oscar Lopez Rivera. Rep.
July 11, 2016
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a week of national tragedy including citizens killed by police and police killed by citizens, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) and Rep. Robin L. Kelly (D-IL) released a letter they wrote Friday to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking her to help lead an effort to address police community relations and gun violence. They wrote:
July 8, 2016
Press Release
“There is a corrosive wave of Americans hating each other and killing each other at alarming rates that we as a nation must come together to resolve and terminate.”
Washington, D.C. – On Friday, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) issued a statement in reaction to the slaying of five police officers in Dallas and the wounding of other officers and bystanders.
July 7, 2016
Press Release
Washington, DC – On Thursday, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) spoke about the latest videotaped shooting of a young black man by police, the slaying of Philando Castile in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The Congressman said he wept this morning watching television coverage of the killing and interviews with family members and felt compelled to speak on the floor. He urged his colleagues in the House to lead; to engage the American people in a national conversation about how to address the epidemic of young black men shot dead by police. He said:
June 27, 2016
Press Release
Washington, DC – On Thursday, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement of a 5-3 decision against Texas House Bill 2 in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the U.S. Supreme Court case related to a clinic shutdown law in Texas.
June 13, 2016
Press Release
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Members released the following statements in response to this weekend’s shooting in Orlando, Florida. 49 people were killed and 53 more were wounded during an LGBT dance club “Latin Flavor” night. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
May 25, 2016
Press Release
Rep. Gutiérrez spoke about the latest anti-immigration and anti-immigrant actions of the Republican Party. He focused on a mark-up hearing today in the Judiciary Committee on a bill to severely restrict and slow down legal immigration – including special screening for Muslims – as well as the “onerous” dictates of Judge Andrew S. Hanen, a federal Judge in Texas.