On a day when women lost their constitutional right to choice and privacy in this country, there was actually one small bit of good news for the American People.
The bipartisan passage of a Gun Safety Law (The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act) in Congress that is the first move towards some semblance of gun control since the 1990’s and making people safer.
While not as robust or significant as Democrats wanted, this legislation is a step forward because it:
- Closes the bad boyfriend loophole on gun purchases.
- Invests funds in school security programs.
- $750 million for states to enforce Red Flag Laws or run crisis intervention programs.
- Makes more gun sellers register on the federal registry, thus requiring them to perform background checks on gun purchasers.
- Review of juvenile court records of 18 to 21 year olds to determine if they can purchase a firearm.
- Goes after people who buys guns for people who can not purchase firearms on their own.
In Arizona, all the Democratic of the Grand Canyon State voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Not surprisingly, none of the Arizona Republicans (Debbie Lesko, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, and David Schweikert)voted for this bipartisan common sense measure.
This is the same fringe bunch that did not vote for the American Relief Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, protecting voting rights, and making sure babies had access to formula.
They can add preferring crazy people having access to firearms to their dubious voting records.
What more do Arizona voters need to know to be convinced this quartet does not represent their interests and should be voted out of office.
On the Democratic side, there was much praise for the passage of the first gun safety law in almost 30 years.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema posted:
The day after the shooting in Uvalde, we pledged to work across the aisle and get something done to stop the violence in our communities.
Tonight, our Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed the Senate. It’s one step closer to becoming law and, most importantly, saving lives. pic.twitter.com/rjYfGTEKle
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) June 24, 2022
Senator Mark Kelly posted:
Our Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has officially passed the Senate.
This bill will make our schools and communities safer, expand mental health services, and protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Let’s get it over the finish line.
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) June 24, 2022
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego commented:
“I’m pleased to see Congress act on gun law reform. Cities have been dealing with the consequences far too long. Phoenix saw a 45-percent increase in crimes involving guns over the past year. This action moves us in the right direction.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued two postings.
BREAKING: The #Senate has passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Though it's not the end game, this bill is an important first step to address gun violence in our communities. The bill is headed to the #House for a vote before it can go to @POTUS desk to be signed into law. pic.twitter.com/3VahSq2Hdh
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) June 24, 2022
Mayors continue to address gun violence from every angle. This week #Congress has joined us in the fight to save lives.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is headed to President #Biden for his signature.#MayorsAgainstIllegalGuns @POTUS https://t.co/6VZSFyyQkh
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) June 24, 2022
Representative Ann Kirkpatrick posted:
I know digesting news is difficult & we may feel despair but we must come together and find solutions.
We just passed the first gun violence prevention bill in decades. While its not perfect, it's progress. And we need to chip away toward progress every chance we can. https://t.co/UQggVhs4no
— Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) June 24, 2022
Representative Raul Grijalva posted:
I voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, critical gun safety legislation at a time when SCOTUS ruled to allow more violence and proliferation of guns.
It shouldn’t take 19 dead children for Republicans to realize we have a gun problem.
We need more action, now.
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) June 24, 2022
Representative Tom O’Halleran posted:
As a former law enforcement officer, I've seen gun violence firsthand. Today, I voted to pass gun reform legislation that will protect #AZ01 kids & families. The commonsense measures in this bill are a good first step that will make a real difference. https://t.co/I2JV19yA8v
— Rep. Tom O'Halleran (@RepOHalleran) June 24, 2022
Arizona Attorney General Candidate Kris Mayes
Arizona Attorney General Candidate Kris Mayes commented:
“I support the common sense bipartisan proposal in the Senate. We have waited far too long to start addressing the issue of gun violence in our country. While this compromise does not represent everything that Congress could do to lower the risk of gun violence, it does include many great provisions that will save lives, including support for state crisis intervention orders and protections for victims of domestic violence. As Attorney General, I will work to build coalitions to address the problem of gun violence, as well as aggressively fight illegal gun sales and other gun related crimes, including preventing ghost guns and their sales.”
