Washington, DC — This week, the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 out of committee by a vote of 23-15. Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06), is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 8 and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. During the markup, the Committee also passed H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019. These bills will be brought to the floor of the House for a vote in the coming weeks.
“This past week, Congress took a major step towards passing meaningful legislation to address gun violence. It was a bittersweet moment when I voted for the bipartisan background checks bill on behalf of my son, Jordan Davis, who would be turning 24 on Saturday,” McBath said. “I came to Washington to stand up for the people who put their trust in me and to ensure the safety of the families and communities in Georgia’s Sixth, and across our nation, by keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Our work has just begun.”
Rep. McBath is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. This historic bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), would ensure background checks for all gun sales – including unlicensed gun dealers. The bill was also co-sponsored by Reps. Peter T. King (NY-02), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Brian Mast (FL-18), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Fred Upton (MI-06), and Christopher Smith (NJ-01).
H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 bill would help to address and close the “Charleston Loophole,” which allows a firearm sale to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days. This week was also the one year anniversary of the shooting that killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. On Saturday, February 16, Rep. McBath’s son, Jordan Davis, would have turned 24. Jordan was 17 years-old when he was shot and killed by a man who opened fire on a car of unarmed teenage boys at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012.
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