Submitted on: June 1, 2022
Committee on the Judiciary
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we strongly urge you to VOTE YES on the Protecting Our Kids Act (H.R. 7910) when it is marked up on Thursday. Votes on this issue may be included in NEA’s report card for the 117th Congress.
H.R. 7910 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 (existing magazines would be “grandfathered” in); allow states and localities to compensate individuals who surrender high-capacity magazines through buyback programs
- Beef up federal criminal penalties for gun trafficking and straw purchases
- Establish voluntary best practices for safe firearms storage, including tax credits for purchasing safe storage devices
- Establish requirements to regulate the storage of guns at home and criminal penalties for violating them
- Require existing bump stocks be registered under the National Firearms Act; 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
In light of the twin massacres in Uvalde and Buffalo, as well as soaring gun violence nationally, it is imperative for Congress to act. We strongly urge you to VOTE YES on H.R. 7910.
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association