Congress Passes Historic Legislation to Prevent Gun Violence with Manning's Support

Press Release

Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06), a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce, released the following statement after voting in favor of S. 2938, The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

"As mass shootings and every day gun violence kill more than 41,000 Americans annually, Congress must answer the urgent call to enact legislation that will save lives. Today, Congress took action by passing the first bipartisan gun violence prevention bill in more than two decades," said Congresswoman Manning. "The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes crucial measures that will help states effectively implement red flag laws, close the boyfriend loophole, enhance background checks for people under twenty-one, and increase access to mental health services.

"Gun violence will not be eradicated with one bill, but this legislation is an important first step. To take advantage of these resources, North Carolina must pass red flag laws to protect Americans from dangerous people who may be a threat to themselves or others. Now more than ever, we must enact commonsense solutions to ending gun violence in our communities."

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a commonsense proposal to protect America's children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country, including with:

Support for State Crisis Intervention Orders: Creates $750 million for states to create and administer laws that will ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals determined by a court to be a significant danger to themselves or others, and for extreme risk protection orders that have sufficient due process.
Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence by Closing the Boyfriend Loophole: Adds convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Banning Gun Trafficking & Cracking Down on Straw Purchases: Cracks down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements and clarifies which sellers need to register, conduct background checks, and keep appropriate records, and creates federal straw purchasing and trafficking criminal offenses for the first time, allowing prosecutors to target dangerous illegal gunrunners.
Enhanced Background Checks for People Under 21: Requires an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement, for buyers under 21 years of age, creating an enhanced, longer background check of up to ten days.
Anti-Violence Community Initiatives: Provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives.
Investing in Children & Family Mental Health Services: Supports the national expansion of community behavioral health center model; improves access to mental health services for children, youth, and families through the Medicaid program and CHIP; increases access to mental health services for youth and families in crisis via telehealth; and provides major investments at the Department of Health and Human Services to programs that expand provider training in mental health, support suicide prevention, crisis and trauma intervention and recovery.
Investing in Safe Schools: Invests in programs to expand mental health and supportive services in schools, including early identification and intervention programs, school-based mental health and wrap-around services, improvements to school-wide learning conditions, and school safety.

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