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Statement

It’s About Time! Moms Leader Applauds House for Passing Bill to Require Universal Background Checks on Gun Purchases, Calls for Senate to Do Same

February 27, 2019
Gun Control

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on House of Representatives passage of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019:

“It’s a new day, and a new Congress, and America’s moms are thrilled that so early in the year, the House of Representatives has passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, with a strong, bipartisan vote of 240-190. This basic, commonsense reform is badly overdue and the Senate should waste no time in passing it as well. This should be the beginning of a series of reforms that will collectively help end the scourge of gun violence that is taking more than 40,000 lives in our country each year.

“Passage by one chamber is not enough. America’s moms expect fast progress to enact sensible and comprehensive gun safety reforms. In addition to background checks on gun sales, we need to ban military-style assault weapons with high-capacity magazines, invest in community-based anti-violence programs, and take other steps to prevent mass shootings and reduce the toll of gun violence.

“For years, MomsRising members have been calling for this commonsense gun safety measure. Tens of thousands of our members have signed petitions, attended rallies, emailed and visited their lawmakers, and much more. The House took an essential step today. It’s about time! Now the U.S. Senate must do the same.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.