[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8547-H8548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BILLS ADDRESSING GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rush) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address two critical bills 
that would mandate studies to examine, one, whether tasers are a safer 
alternative to firearms and, two, how innovative technology can enhance 
the safety of firearms.
  My bill, H.R. 4740, the TASER Access, Safety, and Effectiveness 
Review Study Act, or TASERS Act, will direct the Consumer Product 
Safety Commission to coordinate a multiagency study comparing the 
effectiveness and the safety of firearms and of tasers. By studying 
tasers, Mr. Speaker, we can determine whether they can be a safe, 
effective, and, most importantly, nonlethal weapon of self-defense.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4784 would direct the National Institute of Justice 
to update its 2013 study on gun safety technologies. The 2013 NIJ study 
noted that several innovative gun-locking technologies were close to 
coming onto the market in our Nation.
  Newer gun-locking or smart-gun technologies require fingerprints or 
other advanced mechanisms to unlock the firearms. Unfortunately, Mr. 
Speaker, vehement protests and inaccurate information about drastic 
cost increases from the gun lobby have prevented this technology from 
becoming widely available.
  Mr. Speaker, smart-gun technology has the potential to stop firearms 
from being used by those who shouldn't possess them. A 2019 Department 
of Justice survey found that 56 percent of prisoners who possessed a 
firearm during their offense obtained it through illicit channels. 
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, a study in the American Journal of Public 
Health concluded that over 1,500 stolen guns were recovered in 
connection with violent crimes between 2010 and 2016.
  Updating the Department of Justice's 2013 study would be a critical 
step forward into determining how smart-gun technology can be 
incorporated into the multifaceted approach needed to reduce gun 
violence.
  Congress must always seek to harness the power of innovation and 
innovative technology to make Americans safer. The studies these bills 
would mandate are a critical first step in evaluating how we can use 
technology and innovation to prevent gun violence.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to sponsor both of these measures and 
encourage

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my colleagues to join me in supporting them.

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