Dear John,
As a strong supporter of our Second Amendment, ensuring your safety is a top priority of mine. According to the U.S. Constitution, Americans have the right to always protect themselves and their families, and this right shall not be infringed.
With a growing demand for firearm purchases, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) completed a total of 4,317,804 background checks in January of this year. This marked the start of the highest number of checks conducted in a one-month period. Our system already ensures that only law-abiding citizens have the ability to legally purchase guns commercially.
Every commercial firearm sale in the United States requires a background check. Even though the NICS system works, House Democrats continue to push for an expansion of the U.S background checks system. Criminals do not follow our laws to begin with and expanding background checks in the U.S.to private sales will have negligible or no impact. The gun-control bill passed by the Democratic House this past year would have demanded fathers to do a background check in selling a gun to a daughter or son.
Most guns used in crimes are stolen or bought through already illegal straw purchases. Simply put, the two bills passed by Speaker Pelosi offer inefficient solutions that will not prevent criminal access to guns, but would make it tougher for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families by putting more roadblocks and restrictions on the constitutional right to access firearms.
Those who go through the proper background check process to purchase a firearm are not the reason gun violence exists. Rather, it is those who break the law by illegally purchasing or owning firearms and who are a danger to society that should be held accountable for their unlawful actions.
That’s why I introduced H.R. 1604, the STOP Straw Purchases Act, to strengthen federal law and make it easier to prosecute criminal straw purchasers and gun traffickers, by increasing penalties resulting from the purchase of a firearm for a prohibited person. An illegal firearm purchase, or straw purchase, is a federal crime and applies to purchases for those who are prohibited by law from possessing a gun or do not want their name associated with the purchase. Unfortunately, a large portion of firearm-related crimes are committed by someone who should not have access to a firearm, but they are able to get it because someone else makes the purchase.
According to the ATF, nearly 50 percent of trafficking stems from straw purchasing from federally licensed firearms dealers. I have met and talked with local law enforcement in our district, and they have repeatedly told me that cracking down on straw purchases is THE most important action we can take to reduce gun violence. Because of this, I introduced this bill to help keep our communities safe and to stop gun violence.
This year I also introduced H.R. 3080, the Back the Blue Act. Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and they deserve our support. This legislation will increase penalties for criminals who intentionally target federal law enforcement officers, as well as judges and public safety officers while providing new tools to protect themselves. Police are being murdered and assaulted at record rates and we need to take action.
I’ve also supported various other legislation that would reduce crimes committed with guns. We can improve the current NICS database by also importing data that is used by the FBI. I voted for legislation that was passed to provide better funding for schools to make them safer. I also think it is important for law enforcement to be notified if someone who is not allowed to buy a gun is caught doing so, through the background checks we currently have. Today, law enforcement is not notified.
These are just some of the many ways we can deter illegal firearm purchases while also keeping our citizens safe, protecting our second amendment rights, and defending law-abiding citizens who honor our rule of law. Our communities are safer when citizens and officers alike are allowed to defend themselves.
One of the reasons violence has spiked this past year is that many cities cut funding to police, and in many areas of the country our law enforcement was denigrated and made scapegoats for the actions of a bad few. It is important we hold bad cops accountable, but we must also not lose sight that the 99% are America’s best and they defend us with their lives every day. Too many political leaders lambasted police in general and it has helped fuel an environment where crime has increase. We need to defend our police, not defund nor denigrate them.
As always, our office is here to answer any questions and listen to any concerns you may have. You can call our Omaha office at (402) 938-0300, or you can visit https://bacon.house.gov.
