[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                BIPARTISAN BACKGROUND CHECKS ACT OF 2019

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                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2019

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 8) to 
     require a background check for every firearm sale.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chair, I'm very proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 8, the 
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, the most significant gun 
violence legislation to be considered in the House in over a decade. 
H.R. 8 strengthens our current laws on background checks by closing 
loopholes and ensuring that dangerous people do not have the 
opportunity to purchase a weapon. This legislation is critical and long 
overdue because 40 percent of gun sales are made with no background 
check at all.
  Over 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of gun owners, 
support universal background checks. Why? Because they help keep guns 
out of the hands of criminals. The current system has already stopped 
three million gun sales to convicted felons and others who are 
prohibited by law from owning a firearm. These checks do nothing to 
infringe upon the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and use 
firearms for recreation, subsistence, or even self-defense, and 
importantly, the vast majority of background checks are completed 
within minutes.
  When the Supreme Court first recognized an individual's right to 
carry a gun in the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, it also 
acknowledged that the Second Amendment does not prevent Congress from 
imposing reasonable restrictions on gun sales. The right of responsible 
citizens to keep and bear arms must be carefully weighed against the 
right of all Americans to live in a safe society, and I believe H.R. 8 
strikes the right balance between protecting the latter without 
infringing upon the former.
  For too long, unreasonable forces have prevented serious 
consideration of virtually any gun legislation, no matter how 
commonsense it is. Ninety-six Americans are killed by a gun every day, 
and we owe it to them, their families, and the people of Newtown, 
Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, and so many other communities to take 
meaningful action. Too many innocent lives have been taken and the 
American people deserve so much better.
  I wish to thank the thousands of devoted activists, including Moms 
Demand Action, for raising their voices across my Congressional 
District and across our country to end gun violence in our nation.

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