On Wednesday, June 22, Representative Judy Chu (CA-27), called on Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to allow a vote on legislation that would prevent those on the No Fly list from being able to buy a gun before the House takes a week-long break on Friday.
The bill, H.R. 1076, Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015, was introduced in December 2015 by Representatives Pete King (NY-02) and Mike Thompson (CA-05) and would allow the FBI and Attorney General to prevent suspected terrorists from buying lethal firearms and explosives.
A similar bill in the Senate, introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), earned a majority of votes on Monday night, but failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to defeat a filibuster. Past attempts by Democrats in the House to bring this legislation up for a vote have been defeated 13 times by House Republicans. Rep. Chu introduced the following statement:
“The American people are becoming accustomed to two new realities. There will be more mass shootings, and Congress will respond with inaction. I am not comfortable with either. That is why I am calling on Speaker Ryan to not send Congress home without first allowing us to vote on common sense gun control reforms like the No Fly, No Buy legislation.
“In the wake of mass shootings in places like San Bernardino and just a week after 49 innocent people were killed in Orlando – the worst shooting in our country’s history – it is unconscionable that Congress refuses to take any action to keep guns out of the hands of those who want to spread terror and death. This bill, which already has support from 116 members from both parties, would do just that. It is ready to be voted on and should be brought to the floor before we let another week go by without taking action.”
