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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko this evening voted to pass H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act.  This significant package of gun safety reforms, introduced in the wake of the May 14 racially motivated shooting that took the lives of ten Black patrons at a Buffalo supermarket and the horrific May 24 massacre of nineteen elementary school children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, will institute commonsense, widely supported measures that will help save countless lives across our nation.

“It is past time for Congress to take significant steps to end the scourge of gun violence that has torn apart families and communities for far too long,” Congressman Tonko said.  “As the rate of mass shootings continues to increase, more and more Americans are saying ‘enough is enough’ and demanding an end to this unceasing bloodshed.  The Protecting Our Kids Act is a necessary step towards keeping our communities safe, but these measures alone are far from enough.  Congress must act to pass a total assault weapons ban to get the military-style guns used to carry out these devastating mass shootings out of our communities.  We must not fall victim to apathy.  Only when we take real action to address this growing crisis can we enjoy one of the most basic freedoms: the freedom from fear.  I urge the Senate to act to save lives by taking up this critical legislation immediately.”

Tonko has pushed to advance a number of gun safety measures over the years, including H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act that requires a background check for every gun sale or transfer and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act would end the Charleston Loophole that currently allows the sale of a firearm to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days.

The Protecting Our Kids Act will take major steps in the fight against gun violence, including:

• 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 that allows many gun purchasers to bypass required background checks.
• Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.
• Outlawing bump stocks and high-capacity magazines for civilian use that only serve to make mass shootings more deadly.

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