WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are spearheading an effort to safeguard Second Amendment rights while preventing guns from falling into the wrong hands. The trio of Senate Judiciary Committee members today introduced legislation requiring relevant agencies and institutions to submit accurate records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
“Too many communities have endured mass shootings and suffered the heartbreak and trauma that follow,” Grassley said. “Our bill gives the NICS the information it needs to keep firearms away from people who are a danger to themselves or others – without infringing on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Strengthening our national background check system can help save lives.”
“I’m proud to work with Sen. Grassley to increase support for school safety funding, improve NICS reporting, and do more to prosecute criminals who illegally purchase firearms. These measures are common sense, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this legislation, which has received bipartisan support before and should again,” Cruz said.
“This commonsense legislation will protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, increase the availability of records to NICS to ensure those suffering from mental illness receive the care they need and help law enforcement stop dangerous criminals,” Tillis said. “Empowering law enforcement and ensuring NICS has access to relevant records and data will save lives and make our communities safer.”
The Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act takes concrete steps to improve NICS, address mental health concerns pertaining to firearms purchases and bolster alerts to law enforcement. Specifically, this Congress’ version of the legislation would:
Improve recordkeeping by ensuring states submit relevant mental health records to NICS.
Enhance accountability by directing federal agencies to annually report to Congress on the number and description of records they submit to NICS; and requiring the Justice Department to explain to Congress why it has or has not been prosecuting gun cases.
Preserve the Second Amendment by strengthening protections for veterans and establishing guardrails for Fast & Furious-type operations by the Justice Department.
Prioritize public safety by requiring federal and state officials to coordinate on gun law enforcement; and increasing the statutory maximum sentence for lying and buying firearms.
Support research and information availability by commissioning a study from the National Institute of Justice and National Academy of Sciences on the causes of mass shootings.
Crack down on cross-border gun smuggling by enhancing resources to fight firearms trafficking, at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
Background:
The bill was first introduced as the “Grassley-Cruz” amendment in 2013, when it passed the Senate by a vote of 52-48. However, it couldn’t overcome a Democrat filibuster, and Republicans were in the minority.
Download bill text HERE and a section-by-section, HERE.
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