Akron Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C.— On June 13, U.S. Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13) announced she has joined legislative efforts by House Democrats to force consideration of three commonsense gun safety bills which would make our communities safer and help reduce gun violence.

The three bills include H.R. 698, the Assault Weapons Ban, H.R. 715, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 2403, the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

“We have a duty as public servants to keep our communities safe, but the House Majority’s inaction on gun violence is killing innocent Americans. Instead of acting to improve public safety, House Republicans are trying to weaken existing gun laws, making it easier for guns to fall into the wrong hands. Enough is enough,” said Rep. Sykes. “We can and must pass commonsense gun safety legislation to bolster background checks and ban dangerous assault weapons. The people of Ohio’s 13th District sent me here to ‘do something’ about gun violence in our communities, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I will always put American lives over politics, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are ready to do the same.”

The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, of which Rep. Sykes is a member, filed discharge petitions to compel House Republican Leadership to immediately send the following three bills to the floor for a vote:

Assault Weapons Ban (H.R. 698)

• This bill prohibits the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than fifteen rounds. 
• It does not prohibit the continued possession of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines lawfully owned before enactment and would not apply to certain firearms like antiques and certain hunting/sporting rifles. 
• These weapons of war have been used in some of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States.

Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 715)

• This bill requires that every sale of a firearm includes a background check with certain exemptions for family transfers and temporary hunting transfers.
• A licensed gun dealer, manufacturer or importer would be required to conduct a background check before a transfer between private parties can proceed. 
• This will prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands through unlicensed dealers.

Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 2403)

• June 17, 2023, will mark the eight-year anniversary of the massacre at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
• That tragedy brought awareness to the “Charleston Loophole” that allows an individual to purchase firearms before approval of their background check if it is still pending after three days.
• This bill gives the FBI limited additional time to complete a background check—10 business days, followed by a subsequent 10-business day escalated review upon request by purchaser—before a firearm can be transferred to the purchaser.

While Rep. Sykes and House Democrats continue to prioritize commonsense gun violence prevention measures that will keep children, families, law enforcement officers, and communities safe, House Republican Leadership this week continued their efforts to weaken existing gun safety policies by considering H.J. Res. 44 to nullify the Biden-Harris Administration’s stabilizing arm brace rule. H.J. Res. 44 keeps dangerous firearms out of dangerous hands by requiring that guns equipped with stabilizing arm braces are subject to the same requirements as weapons with the same firing power. 

“People in Ohio’s 13th District and across the country overwhelmingly want to prevent gun violence in our communities. I’ll continue fighting for legislation that makes our communities safer, keeps dangerous weapons off our streets, and saves lives,” said Rep. Sykes.

Original source can be found here.