Gun Control
I know firsthand the terrible toll that crime and violence takes on our community and nation. In 1999, my youngest son Huey was shot and killed in Chicago. For my family and me, our lives were forever changed by this tragedy. I know we are not alone.
Gun violence is an epidemic in our country. Over the past several years, we have all seen the horrors of gun violence perpetrated against our nation and many of us have witnessed the less publicized displays of gun violence on our city streets.
I firmly believe that proposals before the Congress to regulate the purchase of firearms do not infringe on the rights afforded by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. As the late Justice Scalia wrote in the Majority Opinion for District of Columbia v. Heller, “Nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on … laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” (District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008))
Many of the proposals under discussion do not prevent an individual from purchasing a firearm. Rather, they implement a commonsense requirement (for example, background checks before sale) that has bipartisan support. The purpose of this legislation is not to prevent law-abiding citizens from possessing firearms, but instead, to prevent guns from falling into the hands of those who may harm themselves or society.
More on Gun Control
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7617, which includes six FY2021 spending bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development; and last Friday, the House also passed H.R. 7608, which consisted of four bills to fund federal departments, including State, Agriculture, Interior, and Veterans Affairs for FY2021, which runs from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted by voice vote an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Division of H.R. 7617 proposed by U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), which would appropriate an additional $1.5 million for community-based violence prevention initiatives, such as gun violence intervention initiatives, hospital-based violence intervention programs, evidence-based street outreach programs, and group violence intervention strategies.
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) voted in support of two legislative packages that, together, comprise all 12 Fiscal Year 2020 funding bills, including hundreds of millions of dollars for top legislative priorities such as $25 million for federal research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) into the nation’s gun violence epidemic.
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) introduced legislation requiring the Department of Justice to update the National Institute of Justice’s research report on gun safety technologies.
WASHINTON — U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) recently introduced legislation to direct the federal government to study the safety and efficacy of tasers and firearms.
The “TASER Access, Safety, and Effectiveness Review and Study Act,” or, the “TASERS Act,” directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in consultation with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study on the safety and efficacy of tasers and firearms.