Sen. Gillibrand: The Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill Is a Major Step Forward in Tackling Gun Violence
By Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Thirteen years ago, I met a mother from Brooklyn named Jennifer Pryear. She told me about her daughter Nyasia, a 17-year-old high school senior and honor roll student who was shot and killed by a stray bullet at a dance party she attended to celebrate her upcoming graduation. Nyasia was a beautiful, brilliant young person who didn’t deserve to die. And it was her story that motivated me to fight for legislation to address the scourge of gun violence.
Nyasia was just one of the many innocent Americans who fall victim to gun violence every year. From Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook, to Orlando, Las Vegas, Buffalo, and now Uvalde, more Americans are dying from gun violence compared to previous decades.
On average, more than 110 people die from guns every day in the United States. And as a result, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than their counterparts in other high-income countries.
As a mother I worry about the alarming rise of mass shooting incidents, especially in our schools. And as a senator I know how important it is that Congress act quickly to pass new gun safety laws before anyone else gets hurt. New polling from Data for Progress finds that the majority of Americans agree.
That is why I am grateful that Congress has now done just that. The bipartisan gun safety legislation that passed last week is widely favored by voters, according to Data for Progress polling. And it represents an important step forward that will make communities safer and keep guns out of the hands of deeply troubled individuals.
I am especially proud that major provisions from my own bill, the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act, were included in this package. By finally making gun trafficking a federal crime, this bill will give law enforcement officers the tools they need to stop the flood of illegal guns up the Iron Pipeline.
The fact of the matter is that guns from states with lax gun laws are flooding into states with strong gun laws. But because there has been no clear federal statute making gun trafficking a federal crime, law enforcement officers and prosecutors have had to rely on a patchwork of state regulations to crack down on criminal networks. In effect, that means that prosecuting these criminals becomes very difficult, and convicting them becomes nearly impossible.
This makes no sense to me, and it makes no sense to most Americans. Ninety-two percent of American voters support cracking down on those who traffic guns. By incorporating provisions from my Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will finally make it much more difficult for criminals to traffic illegal guns across state lines.
In addition to addressing the issue of gun trafficking, the bipartisan gun deal clarifies the definition of a "federally licensed firearms dealer," closes the “boyfriend loophole,” enhances background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21, incentivizes states to pass red flag laws, and provides resources to states to help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of deeply troubled individuals. It also provides major investments to make mental and behavioral health services more accessible and invests in programs to help institute safety measures in and around schools.
These are common-sense solutions to a senselessly common problem. And I am proud that for the first time in nearly 30 years, Congress has come to a bipartisan agreement on combating gun violence that will save lives.
We owe it to all of the victims of gun violence, including Nyasia Pryear-Yard, to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. The passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was a critical first step, and I will continue working to ensure no more innocent lives are lost to guns.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) is a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York.