WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) issued the following statements regarding the bipartisan Protecting Our Kids Act and her upcoming Gun Violence Prevention Telephone Town Hall:

“Members of our community, gun owners and non-gun owners alike, understand that tough, honest conversations are necessary to safeguard our schools and neighborhoods—last night, we took an important step forward in those conversations,” said Houlahan. “Hearing from constituents, I know I’m not alone in my outrage. As a former teacher and a mom, learning that parents of Uvalde victims had to identify their children by their school clothes broke my heart. As a legislator, it hardened my resolve to get common-sense solutions across the finish line.”

“In the wake of the devastating mass shooting in Uvalde, the House put together a comprehensive package to address the gun violence epidemic rippling through our nation. The package was originally planned to fall under just one vote, but the American people deserve to know where their elected officials stand on each provision. I successfully led an effort asking House Leadership to break up the package into individual votes; it worked. Each bill received bipartisan support by a unique set of Members, which allows ongoing negotiations to better reflect the sentiment of our nation. In the end, our goal is, and must continue to be, to get something passed—I remain committed to making that happen.”

Houlahan voted in favor of each Title in the Protecting Our Kids Act, which takes key steps to address this crisis and safeguard Pennsylvanians including:

• Title 1 - The Raise the Age Act: raising the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons to 21 years old.  Currently, someone could buy a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon of choice in many mass shootings, at just 18 years old – yet you must be 21 to buy a handgun. (Passed: 228-19; 10 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 2 - The Prevent Gun Trafficking Act: cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off of our streets. (Passed: 226-197; 7 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 3 - The Untraceable Firearms Act: subjecting ghost gun purchases to background check requirements. (Passed: 226-194; 8 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 4 – Ethan’s Law (Safe Storage): Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings. (Passed: 220-205; 3 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 5 - The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act: closing the bump stock loophole to ban these deadly tools from civilian use. (Passed: 233-194; 13 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 6 - The Keep Americans Safe Act: outlawing high-capacity magazines, which are designed for killing en masse and have been the accessory of choice in the bloodiest mass shootings. (Passed: 220-207; 4 Republicans voted YES)
• Title 7 - Requiring an annual report of demographic data of those being determined by the National Institute Criminal Background Check System to be ineligible to purchase guns. (Passed: 380-47; 160 Republicans voted YES)

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TELEPHONE TOWN HALL

To discuss this important piece of legislation and community concerns about school safety further, Houlahan also announced a telephone town hall with several panelists.

“As a third-generation veteran and proud Pennsylvanian, I know the topic of gun violence prevention is personal for many people in Chester and Berks Counties,” Houlahan added. “A large portion of our community members own guns themselves. That’s why I’m inviting the public to join us for a tough but necessary conversation about the state of gun violence and mental health in our community. The panelists and I will discuss how we can enact meaningful legislation that addresses the root causes of this heartbreaking trend of mass shootings while also respecting responsible gun owners. As always, we will take live questions from community members—I invite everyone to join us.”

Details

WHAT:

Gun Violence Prevention Telephone Town Hall hosted by Rep. Houlahan

WHO:

Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

Fredda Maddox – Sheriff, Chester County

Erin Buchner – Chapter Lead, Moms Demand Action, Pennsylvania

Dr. George Fiore – Executive Director, Chester County Intermediate Unit

Dr. Jennifer Murray – Superintendent, Reading School District

WHEN:

Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. – RSVP here.

HOW:

Telephone – dial (855) 731-4616

Online – visit houlahan.house.gov/live

If members of the press are interested in joining the call, please let Aubrey Stuber know at Aubrey.stuber@mail.house.gov by Thursday, June 16 at 1 p.m.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Small Business Committee. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward.”