By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
A Lake County lobbyist sent us this message received from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
Senator Brown may be to the left of A.O.C. and we certainly do not agree with any of his proposed legislation. We wonder what part of “infringed” he does not understand. Brown must be defeated in 2024!
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Dear [Redacted]:
Thank you for getting in touch with me about firearm-related legislation. I appreciate you sharing your views. Mass shootings in America have become far too common, including right here in Ohio. That’s why Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, common sense gun safety legislation that will help protect families and children and reduce violent crime across the country.
I was proud to support this bill and vote for this legislation, which President Biden signed into law on June 25, 2022. This was the first major gun safety legislation in nearly three decades. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act closes the “boyfriend loophole,” prohibiting anyone convicted of domestic violence from accessing guns and expands background checks for people under 21 years old to include their juvenile records.
This legislation also includes one of the most dramatic expansions of mental health support in years – it expands funding for crisis intervention and mental health services, allocating $500 million for school-based mental health services and strengthening school safety. In addition, this new law cracks down on “straw purchasers,” giving tools to prosecutors to target the illegal transportation of weapons.
While the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will help make our schools and communities safer and save lives, we must build on this success to advance gun safety in the United States. I have always respected the Second Amendment rights of hunters, collectors, and other law-abiding gun owners; banning items like assault rifles and extended magazines does not unfairly infringe upon those rights. The singular purpose of these types of weapons and accessories is clear: to cause the maximum amount of death and destruction possible in the shortest period of time.
When Americans are not safe in their schools, movie theatres, and houses of worship, we must act to curb gun violence. I support banning assault weapons in this country. I voted in support of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, and I voted to renew it after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012. I am also an original cosponsor of both the Assault Weapons Ban Act and the Background Check Expansion Act, legislation to close loopholes in our background check system so that people who buy guns on the internet or at gun shows must go through the same background checks as law-abiding gun owners who buy their guns at stores.
I have also supported legislation to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to the completion of a background check, as well as legislation to strengthen our background check system by requiring federal agencies to better report information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to ensure that firearms do not end up in the hands of people who are a threat to the safety of anyone.
I have also supported legislation to prevent those on the terrorist watch list from buying guns because if you’re too dangerous to get on an airplane, you’re too dangerous to buy a deadly weapon. And I also support repealing laws that prevent the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from conducting research on gun violence. The successful repeal of this prohibition is an important step forward for gun violence research.
Commonsense changes like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will help save lives and reduce the risk of future mass shootings. I will continue to push for the Senate to consider gun safety measures in the wake of too many deadly massacres. As firearms-related legislation comes before the Senate, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind. Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator
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