[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4666-H4667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                             GIVE US A VOTE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, why is it that more than 80 
percent of NRA members and over 80 percent of gun owners support 
background checks? Well, I will tell you why. It is because they are 
responsible gun owners; and responsible gun owners understand that 
there is nothing wrong with making sure that a prospective gun buyer 
isn't a terrorist, a criminal, a domestic abuser, or dangerously 
mentally ill.
  The Supreme Court made that perfectly clear in District of Columbia 
v. Heller. The Court ruled that, while Americans have the right to keep 
and bear arms, there are no constitutional problems with laws 
prohibiting felons and the dangerously mentally ill from carrying guns.
  As a responsible gun owner myself, I will never give up my guns, and 
I will never ask law-abiding individuals without a history of dangerous 
mental illness to give up theirs. And, like other responsible gun 
owners, I understand that if gun violence continues unabated, then 
eventually we will see laws that place substantial and overly 
burdensome restrictions on our right to own guns.
  To reduce gun violence, we don't need to stop law-abiding citizens 
who use guns for hunting, sport shooting, and personal protection from 
obtaining those firearms. We need to stop terrorists, criminals, 
domestic abusers, and those with a history of dangerous mental illness 
from getting guns.
  Our first line of defense when it comes to making sure that guns 
don't fall into dangerous hands is to conduct a background check. And 
we know that, when used, background checks work.
  Every day, background checks stop more than 170 felons, some 50 
domestic abusers, and nearly 20 fugitives from buying a gun. But sadly, 
a gaping loophole allows those same felons, dangerously mentally ill, 
and domestic abusers to bypass a background check in 34 States. All 
they have to do is go online or go to a gun show. That is wrong; that 
is dangerous; and that loophole needs to be closed.
  That is why it is long past time for the Republican leadership to 
allow a vote on H.R. 1217, my bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment bill to 
require a background check for all commercial gun sales. The bill 
bolsters the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners by making 
sure that the bad guys can't easily bypass background checks when 
trying to buy a gun.
  Just as important for the safety and security of our country and our 
fellow Americans is H.R. 1076, bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment 
legislation to prohibit those who are on the FBI's terrorist watch list 
from being able to legally buy a firearm. We should be able to agree 
that suspected terrorists shouldn't be able to legally buy a gun or 
guns of their choosing.
  As a responsible gun owner, I am fed up with those who are blindly 
opposed to background checks hiding behind bumper sticker slogans like: 
``Guns don't kill people; people kill people.'' Everyone knows that 
guns don't kill people, which is exactly why responsible gun owners and 
the overwhelming majority of the American people understand that it is 
important to run a background check to see if the person buying the gun 
is a danger to our community.
  This debate isn't a choice between respecting the Second Amendment or 
reducing gun violence. As a responsible gun owner, I am tired of it 
being framed that way. It is about this Congress doing both.
  The Supreme Court's Heller ruling provides people on both sides with 
an

[[Page H4667]]

opportunity to work within the confines of the Second Amendment to pass 
legislation that will reduce gun violence and keep our communities 
safe. Responsible gun owners across our country understand that. It is 
time for the Republican leadership in the House to understand it, too.
  Mr. Speaker, give us a vote.

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