Gun Violence

Preventing gun violence has been a major priority since I took office. I participated in the House sit-in to demand solutions to gun violence, and remain outspoken on this issue. Here are my positions on some legislation related to firearms and gun violence: Gun Violence Restraining Orders: Data shows that many acts of gun violence, particularly suicides mass shootings, are committed by… Read more »

Rep. Beyer yesterday joined Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) in introducing the Gun Violence Restraining Order Act, a bill that clears the way for states to empower families and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to prevent future tragedies due to gun violence. “We need to give families and law enforcement officers the ability to… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer released the following statement on continuing Congressional inaction in the famous of major public health crises: “Gun violence, Zika, and contaminated drinking water are urgent problems confronting Americans now,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “The fact that Congress has gone into summer recess without making progress on any of these issues is a stunning failure of… Read more »

Representative Beyer today assailed Congressional inaction over the Orlando mass shooting and the public health crisis of gun violence ahead of a scheduled recess of the House of Representatives. Just last week, House Republicans voted to block consideration of H.R. 1076, the bipartisan “No Fly, No Buy” legislation, an idea supported by 86 percent of Virginia voters. “It is unacceptable… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer released the following statement in the wake of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando early Sunday morning: “Our hearts are broken. Forty-nine Americans, in the primes of their lives, murdered in the name of an evil ideology, targeted for their sexual orientation.  I don’t want to believe the death toll.  As with so many tragedies in our nation’s and… Read more »

Citing constraints on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that prevent it from carrying out its mission to enforce gun safety laws, Congressman Don Beyer introduced the ATF Enforcement Act today.  In addition to removing procedural blocks that prevent the ATF from protecting American families, the bill would also allow the ATF Director position to bypass… Read more »

The House of Representatives today rejected Rep. Beyer’s gun safety amendment to the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2015 (SHARE Act).   On a mostly party-line vote,  the House declined to restrict dangerous individuals from using target ranges on public land. “The House made a dangerous decision today to allow convicted felons unfettered access to… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement in support of President Obama’s executive action to help prevent gun violence in America. “The President’s actions today will help to strengthen the current background check system, and ensure more people undergo those checks before buying a firearm,” said Rep. Beyer. “These actions are long overdue and will help to keep guns… Read more »

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) joined Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and dozens of Democratic co-sponsors today to introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015, which would renew the federal ban on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. President Bill Clinton signed the original ban into law, but Congress allowed it to expire in 2004 under the Bush Administration. Read more »

The Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report this morning, Virginia Under the Gun, detailing four aspects of gun violence in Virginia that stand out above the national average. Read more »