Today, Rep. Madeleine Dean voted in favor of historic legislation to require universal background checks for firearm purchases. The bill, known as H.R. 8, also included Rep. Dean’s amendment to allow an exception for people at risk of suicide to temporarily transfer their firearms to another person during a crisis.
“When 40,000 Americans are killed by firearms each year and another 80,000 are wounded in the crossfire, we have an epidemic on our hands,” said Rep. Dean. “No other industrialized country in the world treats gun violence so casually, and neither should we. Thanks to activists across America and an emboldened Congress, today we say: no more.”
The bill passed by a vote of 240-190, and it will now go to the Senate for consideration. “Today, we celebrate,” said Rep. Dean. “But we also begin our campaign to persuade our Senate colleagues to act.”
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Contact: Matt Bieber, 202-569-2879
