Press Releases

The U.S. House of Representatives this evening passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, a sweeping package of gun violence prevention legislation that represents some of the broadest action to address mass shootings and save lives undertaken by either chamber of Congress in nearly three decades. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the Northern Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital, voted in favor of each of the bill’s titles and for final passage as the House passed the legislation with a bipartisan vote.

“In the wake of horrific mass shootings, the American people require and deserve action from their leaders to prevent gun violence. The House is meeting that urgent need with this legislation,” said Rep. Beyer. “The measures in this bill would address mass shootings as well as the gun violence that claims lives every day without making headlines, including suicides and accidents. With the bills we are passing this week – including tomorrow’s vote on the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act – and previously passed legislation to ensure a background check is completed on every gun sale, the House will have taken more action to prevent gun violence this session than either chamber has done in a generation. I will continue working with my colleagues to do all I can to save lives from the scourge of gun violence.”

Beyer is currently drafting legislation that would restrict sales of assault weapons and high capacity magazines via an excise tax, a mechanism that would enable Senate passage by simple majority.

The Protecting Our Kids Act is the first gun violence prevention legislation taken up by either chamber following mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, Tulsa, and elsewhere. It includes:

• The Raise the Age Act: raising the purchasing age for military-style rifles to 21
• The Prevent Gun Trafficking Act: cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases
• The Untraceable Firearms Act: subjecting ghost gun purchases to background check requirements.
• The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act: banning bump stocks from civilian use
• The Keep Americans Safe Act: outlawing high-capacity magazines
• Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.
• Requiring an annual report of demographic data of those being determined to be ineligible to purchase guns

The Protecting Our Kids Act builds on the House’s twice-passed legislation advancing universal background checks for all gun purchases, and legislation to close the Charleston loophole.

Tomorrow the House will vote on additional legislation establishing extreme risk protection orders, empowering courts to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. Rep. Beyer is lead cosponsor of the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act.