- Marked-up in the House Judiciary Committee today, the bill is expected to receive a floor vote later this month
(Washington, D.C., 6/2/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged all Americans to contact their members of Congress to support the adoption of the gun safety reform measure, “Protecting Our Kids Act,” H.R. 7910.
TAKE ACTION: CLICK HERE TO URGE CONGRESS TO PASS THE PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Expected to be advanced by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee as a response to the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York, the Protecting Our Kids Act would, among other things, raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and place restrictions on the purchase of high-capacity magazines and ghost guns. The measure is likely to receive a vote on the House floor sometime this month.
The reform package would still face an uphill battle in the Senate where Democratic senators control 50 seats and 60 votes are needed to adopt this reform package. The Senate is separately discussing more modest reforms that would potentially strengthen background checks.
READ: PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT (H.R. 7910)
WATCH: U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MARK UP OF H.R. 7910
CBS NEWS: HOUSE PANEL DEBATES GUN CONTROL BILLS AFTER LATEST MASS SHOOTINGS
“We support the Protecting Our Kids Act as an important step towards meaningfully adopting gun-safety laws that address the epidemic of gun violence and do so in a way that does not undermine the rights of any one community, including American Muslims. We encourage all Americans to urge their members of Congress to support this important gun-safety reform package,” said CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw.
First reported by Punchbowl News, the Protecting Our Kids Act would:
- Raise the purchasing age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21
- Ban the import, sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines, although existing magazines are “grandfathered” in
- Require existing bump stocks be registered under the National Firearms Act and bar the manufacture, sale, or possession of new bump stocks for civilian use
- Amend the definition of “ghost guns” to require background checks on all sales, as the ATF is trying to do through rulemaking
- Beef up federal criminal penalties for gun trafficking and “straw purchases”; and,
- Establish new requirements for storing guns at home – especially with minors present – while providing tax credits for storage devices.
In a 2018 survey of over 1,250 Muslim voter households, CAIR found overwhelming support (93%) for requiring background checks for all gun sales and for other increased safety reforms to gun laws.
In 2019, Religion News Service published similar findings in a separate poll of viewpoints on gun safety reform.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com