Congressman Jimmy Panetta calls for immediate vote on bipartisan gun violence prevention bills

Central Coast Congressman Jimmy Panetta is one of 213 members of the House Democratic Caucus to demand a vote on bipartisan bills to prevent gun violence in the wake of recent mass shootings.

On Wednesday, the members wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling on him to immediately bring the Senate back into session to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

The bills were passed by the House in February of this year. According to the Congressman, they have been blocked for a vote by McConnell for more than 160 days.

Congressman Panetta is also a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

The official letter is attached and reads as follows:

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Majority Leader

United States Senate

The Capitol, S-230

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Leader McConnell:

We strongly urge you to take immediate action to call the Senate back into session to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H. R 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

In February, the new Democratic House Majority took swift action to pass these bipartisan bills which not only save lives, but also has the support of more than 90 percent of the American people. Since that time, you have allowed more than 150 days to pass and countless lives have been lost including those most recently lost in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois and the many others who will never make the headlines.

This inaction must stop. We know background checks save lives. Every day background checks stop more than 170 felons and 50 domestic abusers from getting a gun. Any delay to pass commonsense gun violence prevention legislation only increases the chances that more innocent people in America may suffer from the tragic and needless loss caused by gun violence.

Again, we urge you to follow the leadership of the House Democratic Majority and immediately come back into session to pass H. R 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, that could prevent dangerous criminals from obtaining weapons and save lives.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter of great urgency to the American people.

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