Rep. Panetta Votes for Gun Violence Prevention Bills

SALINAS, CA – This week, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) voted to pass both the Protecting Our Children Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to confront a rising tide of gun violence across America. These two bills would implement commonsense nationwide gun control measures and incentivize states to get weapons out of the hands of people who are known risks to themselves and others. Additionally, Rep. Panetta voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act in the Fall of 2021.

"As the nation continues to endure rampant gun violence, the House of Representatives has continued to act accordingly by passing bipartisan legislation that could help slow the slew of people being slain by guns," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. "The Senate must now do its job by coming together and passing legislation based on the bills that we have sent them. It shouldn't take a massacre of a fourth-grade class for the Senate to act on this type of legislation. Nevertheless, the Senate must now do something, anything to stem gun violence and help save lives."

The Protecting Our Kids Act would help slow gun violence by:

• Raising the purchasing age for certain semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old.
• Cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off our streets.
• Closing the ghost gun loophole.
• Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.
• Outlawing bump stocks and high-capacity magazines for civilian use, as these only make mass shootings more deadly.

The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act would keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others by implementing a nationwide extreme risk law and encouraging states to enact their own extreme risk laws.

In 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which would expand the existing background check system to cover all commercial firearm sales, including those at gun shows, over the internet, or in classified ads, while providing reasonable exceptions for family and friend transfers. At that time, the House of Representatives also passed H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which would close the "Charleston Loophole," which allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days.

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