WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement after supporting passage of a bill to extend the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, which bans firearms that are undetectable by metal detectors at security checkpoints.
“I am pleased that Congress came together to pass this commonsense bill in a broad, bipartisan vote. No one needs to own a gun that could secretly pass through a metal detector, and I am encouraged by the fact that my colleagues were able to put politics aside and address the severe risk of gun violence posed by these undetectable firearms.
“This is a good first step, but our work is far from over. We must expand this bill to ensure removable parts – which can be detected by a metal detector but go unidentified as part of a gun – are also banned. And we still need to institute universal background checks for anyone who wishes to purchase a gun, restore funding for programs that improve safety in our schools and communities, and address the serious problems with our nation’s mental health system. The Manchin-Toomey bill, which would have closed gaping loopholes in our background check system, was a good start, and I remain disappointed that the Senate was unable to pass this bipartisan legislation earlier this year. However, I am fully committed to improving our gun laws and stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this done.”