Throughout her time in Congress, U.S. Rep. Castor has worked to stem the gun violence epidemic in America. In the 116th Congress, she has helped lead her colleagues in passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act, a commonsense bill that ensures all gun sales and transfers are subject to a background check that should help stop senseless violence by individuals who should not have a firearm. House Democrats have also passed H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, to close the “Charleston loophole” after the South Carolina gunman in 2015 was able to purchase weapons after a 3-day federal background check ran out of time to turn up a prior conviction. The bill would extend the time to complete a background check. She also is cosponsoring bills to reinstate the ban on military-style assault weapons.
Also in the 116th Congress, U.S. Rep. Castor joined her colleague U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and other members in urging Senate Leader McConnell to call the Senate into session and take immediate action to pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112. She participated in a sit-in with Civil Rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis (GA5) in the 114th Congress and continues to advocate for funding of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research on gun violence.
U.S. Rep. Castor’s work to protect the Tampa Bay community from gun violence includes:
Caucus
Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Member
Legislation
H.R. 8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act (U.S. Rep. Thompson) –This bill would ensure all that all gun sales or transfers are subject to a background check.
H.R. 435, National Gun Violence Research Act (U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson) – This bill would direct the President to establish a 6-year National Gun Violence Research initiative authorized by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
H.R. 511, Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act (U.S. Rep. Brown) – This bill would expand firearm laws to prohibit individuals convicted of dating violence from possessing firearms.
H.R. 569, Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act (U.S. Rep. Dingell) – This bill would update federal law to ensure people who have abused dating partners are prohibiting from buying or owning firearms and close the loophole that allows convicted stalkers to access guns.
H.R. 674, Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (U.S. Rep. Maloney) – This bill would fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.
H.R. 1112, Enhanced Background Checks Act (U.S. Rep. Clyburn) –This bill would address the Charleston loophole that allows gun dealers to sell a firearm to dangerous individuals if the FBI background check has not been completed within 3 business days.
H.R. 1236, Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (U.S. Rep. Carbajal) – This bill would authorize states to allow family members or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an individual in crisis.
H.R. 1266, Ghost Guns Are Guns Act (U.S. Rep. Espaillat) – This bill would expand the definition of “firearm” to include parts designed and intended to be used to convert into a firearm.
H.R. 1186, Keep Americans Safe Act (U.S. Rep. Deutch) – This bill would prohibit the possession or transfer of high or large-capacity ammunition magazines.
H.R. 1287, No Guns for Abusers Act (U.S. Rep. Swalwell) – This bill would direct the National Institute of Justice to report to Congress on the best practices that jurisdiction should use to require anyone charged with or convicted of a domestic violence crime to relinquish all their firearms.
H.R. 1296, Assault Weapons Ban (U.S. Rep. Cicilline) – This bill would prohibit the sale, transfer, production and importation of semi-automatic rifles and pistols with a military-style feature.
H.R. 1309, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (U.S. Rep. Courtney) – This bill would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Admonition to issue a standard requiring health care and social service employers to write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to prevent and protect employees from violent incidents in the workplace.
H.R. 1585, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (U.S. Rep. Bass) – This bill would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 – enhancing sentencing of repeat federal sex offenders; mandating restitution to victims of specified federal sex offenses; and authorizes grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute violence crimes against women.
H.R. 1705, Jamie’s Law (U.S. Rep. Wasserman Schultz) – This bill would enhance the background check process to prevent the purchase of ammunition by prohibited purchasers.
H.R. 2585, Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act (U.S. Rep. Evans) – This bill would create an interagency Advisory Council to gather and report information about the resources, initiatives and benefits that can help victims of gun violence.
H.R. 2708, Disarm Hate Act (U.S. Rep. Cicilline) – This bill would prohibit the sale of firearms to anyone convicted of assaulting someone based on their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
H.R. 3076, Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (U.S. Rep. McBath) – This bill would authorize family members and law enforcement to petition the federal courts to seize firearms from individuals in crisis with a nationwide extreme risk protection order.
H.R. 3094, To designate the National Pulse Memorial (U.S. Rep. Soto) – This bill would honor the lives of the 49 victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub by designating the Pulse Nightclub a National Memorial site.
H.R. 3265, 3D Printed Gun Safety Act (U.S. Rep. Deutch) – The bill would block online access to folks that include automatic instructions used to make firearms using 3D printers.
H.R. 3284, To require the Attorney General to study whether an individual’s history of domestic violence can be used to determine the likelihood of such individual committing a mass shooting (U.S. Rep. Quigley) – This bill would direct the Attorney General to study an individual’s history of domestic violence to determine the likelihood of that individual committing a mass shooting.
H.R. 3553, To ensure all firearms are traceable (U.S. Rep. Cicilline)
H.R. 3606, High Speed Gunfire Prevention Act (U.S. Rep. Cicilline) – This bill would ban devices that are designed to accelerate the fire of semiautomatic weapons.
H.Res.231, Keeping guns out of classrooms (U.S. Rep. Hayes) – This resolution would prohibit federal funds to be used to train or arm school employers with firearms.
H.Res.391, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Gun Violence Awareness Weekend and National Gun Violence Awareness Month (U.S. Rep. Kelly) – This bill would designate June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month and the weekend of June 7-9 as National Gun Violence Awareness Weekend.
Letters
U.S. Rep. Nadler’s Gun Safety Amicus Brief
U.S. Rep. Thompson’s Letter to Senate Majority Leader
U.S. Rep. Malinowski’s Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Leader McConnell regarding Domestic Terrorism and White Supremacist Violence
Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Research on Gun Violence
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) National Background Check System
Violence Against Women Act
Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction
