Washington D.C.—This week, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) voted to pass two commonsense gun violence prevention bills in the wake of recent mass shootings and several decades of rising gun violence incidents across the United States. H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act, and H.R. 2377, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, would directly impact gun sales, safety, and accessibility to prevent violence in American schools, workplaces, and communities.

Congresswoman Ross spoke on the House Floor this week in support of the legislation. To view or download the video file, click here.

“Heartbreakingly, mass shootings have become a steady drumbeat in American life, striking community after community, and instilling fear in the American people,” said Congresswoman Ross. “Passing these two commonsense bills is a critical step in our fight against gun violence. They will raise the gun purchase age, close loopholes, and keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people.”

According to data from the CDC, Americans today are now more likely to be killed by firearms than by motor vehicle accidents. Currently, the U.S. operates under a patchwork of state laws, allowing guns to be trafficked from states with lax gun laws to states with stricter regulations. Recent data from the ATF shows that seven states are the destination for over 50% of trafficked guns in the United States, including North Carolina.

H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act would save lives by:

• Raising the purchasing age for certain semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old.
• Cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off our streets.
• Closing the ghost gun loophole.
• Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.
• Outlawing bump stocks and high-capacity magazines for civilian use, as these only make mass shootings more deadly.

H.R. 2377, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act would:

• Allow family members and law enforcement officers to petition a federal court for an extreme risk protection order to temporarily remove access to firearms for an individual who is deemed a danger to themselves or others by the court.
• Create incentives for more states to adopt extreme risk protection order laws. Specifically, the bill creates a new grant program at the U.S. Department of Justice, with the grants to be used to encourage more states to adopt these protection order laws and to support the 19 states that have already implemented them.

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