Gun Violence Prevention
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia has heard her constituents' calls for gun safety and is committed to fighting the gun violence epidemic that plagues our nation. She is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
Congresswoman Garcia supports gun safety legislation and has voted in favor of several measures seeking to make Americans safer from gun violence including:
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in 2022. In just two years, has helped drive down violent crime to an almost 50-year low. This was the first major piece of gun violence prevention legislation in nearly three decades.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023, a bill that establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, which would immediately regulate bump stocks and functionally equivalent devices that substantially increase the rate of fire of a firearm in the same way it regulates machine guns and suppressors.
The Preventing Illegal Weapons Trafficking Act of 2023, which would help tackle the ongoing gun violence epidemic by requiring federal law enforcement to coordinate efforts to prevent the importation and trafficking of ‘auto-sears’ - illegal gun modification devices that can convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons.
The Assault Weapons Ban of 2023, a bill that bans the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device that holds more than 15 rounds of ammunition.
The Raise the Age Act of 2023, a bill that would prohibit a federal firearms licensee from selling or delivering certain semiautomatic centerfire rifles or shotguns to a person under 21 years of age. Six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 2018 were carried out by people 21-years-old or younger.
Congresswoman Garcia advocates for commonsense gun safety reform. Our children are too often unintentionally injured or killed by a firearm in the home. Congresswoman Garcia supports the safe ownership of certain firearms and has cosponsored several bills that regulate the storage of firearms, including:
The Securing All Firearms Effectively and Safely (SAFES) Act, a bill that would create a 90% refundable tax credit for individuals to purchase a gun safe to safely store your firearms.
Ethan’s Law, a bill that honors the memory of Ethan Song – a teenager who accidentally shot himself with an unsecured gun in 2018 – and requires safe storage of firearms to ensure that a child or others who cannot lawfully obtain a firearm from getting a hold of one and causing harm to themselves or others.
We've had enough thoughts and prayers to end gun violence. Now is the time for action. For more information concerning work and views related to gun reform, please contact our office.