North Bay Congressman Backs New Gun Bills

WASHINGTON D.C. — Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted in support of a suite of gun control measures that cleared the House this week.

But the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order face long odds in the Senate, which Democrats control by a razor-thin margin.

The Protecting Our Kids Act would raise the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21, outlaw high-capacity magazines, crack down on gun trafficking, subjecting unserialized “ghost” guns purchases to background checks, strengthen laws requiring safe storage and ban bump stocks for civilian use.

The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act would strengthen red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. It would implement a nationwide extreme risk law and encourage states to enact similar measures.

“It’s not everything I want to see in terms of gun violence reforms, but we’re tackling some pieces of this that should have broad support – even getting a few Republican votes,” Huffman said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

“And that’s going to put pressure back on the Senate to do something this time.”

Huffman believes that in the aftermath of deadly mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, among others, “this time,” the atmosphere on Capitol Hill is different.

“We have a gun violence epidemic in our country, a crisis that is uniquely American. As elected officials, it’s our responsibility to legislate to protect communities – but Republicans have blocked us at every turn. They have allowed this crisis to reach a gruesome tipping point where over 100 people die from firearms every single day and guns have become the number one killer of children. Nothing – nothing is worth this. It’s appalling, and we cannot let it go unanswered for one more minute,” Huffman said in a statement.

“Year after year we debate this issue, but nothing has changed. Enough is enough. We must put politics aside and act to save lives. People from all parties, from all walks of life are desperately calling on Congress to make these reforms that are so commonsense and urgently needed. This week’s votes are just two of the many steps in our work to stop the bloodshed, and we will not relent until the job is done.”