Pascrell Lauds House Passage of Landmark Gun Safety Bill

Bipartisan Background Checks Act approved by Democratic House

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today voted in favor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. Co-sponsored by Pascrell, this legislation will require comprehensive background checks for all individuals who wish to purchase a firearm.

“America’s gun violence epidemic has claimed far too many victims. Its tragic resilience is one of the worst stains on American life. Today House Democrats are saying: no more. Our legislation will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and make our communities safer,” said Rep. Pascrell, a longtime advocate for stricter gun safety laws and unrelenting enemy of the NRA. “For decades Republicans have offered nothing more than ‘thoughts and prayers’ while countless American lives have been lost to gun violence. Inaction is unforgivable. The American people elected Democrats to act and that’s what we’re doing today.”

Rep. Pascrell has long championed comprehensive state and federal gun control measures in Congress. Shortly after the Stoneman High School tragedy, Pascrell offered legislation to reinstate the Obama-era mental health background check for gun purchases and has for years led the Gun Violence Prevention and Safe Communities Act, which aims to combat gun violence through increased federal taxes on guns and ammunition and by closing tax and regulatory loopholes on some of the most popular and deadly firearms. Pascrell is also the sponsor of the Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act, legislation that will finally give the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms the ability to electronically search for the records of guns used in crimes across the country, progress that has been blocked by NRA zealots for decades. Pascrell works regularly with federal agencies to secure needed school safety grants for New Jersey schools.

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