Himes Calls on Congress to Take Up Gun Violence Prevention Bills

Washington, DC – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) issued the following statement today in response to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy’s (D-VT) announcement that his committee will soon take up several gun violence prevention measures, including legislation to institute universal background checks and to reinstate the assault weapons ban.

“While I am encouraged by the news that the Senate will soon begin considering bills to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and help improve safety in our schools and communities, I am angry that the House has yet to take any steps towards sending gun violence prevention measures to the President’s desk. Over two months after Newtown, it is long past time for Congress to get to work making the common-sense changes that will help ensure such an awful tragedy never happens again.

“No civilian needs a gun with a magazine that holds 30 bullets. No one who wants to own a gun should be able to hide their criminal record behind a loophole. And no parent should be forced to raise their mentally ill child without the mental health services they need. While I am disappointed with the delay, I remain firmly committed to stopping gun violence. In the coming weeks, I will continue doing everything I can to bring my colleagues from both sides of the aisle together to get this job done.”