MacArthur Takes Action on Gun Safety Legislation

Washington, D.C. – Congressman MacArthur has cosponsored three bills that will help make our communities safer. This comes after Congress took real action in passing the Fix NICS Act and STOP School Violence Act, which were both signed into law in March.

“In the aftermath of the devastating shooting in Parkland, Congress passed meaningful legislation that strengthened our background check system and increased funding to secure our schools. While these new laws will help, there is more that can be done,” said Congressman Tom MacArthur. “We have seen the system continually fail to protect our communities from gun violence. I have reviewed legislation and discussed next steps with members of our community. I am cosponsoring additional bills which will ensure that our schools have the proper security personnel, and that more is done to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and those who pose a threat to themselves and others.”

Congressman MacArthur cosponsored three bills that will address the issue of gun violence. These bills strengthen the federal programs to help schools pay for school resource officers and security guards, further prevent domestic abusers from purchasing firearms, and allow law enforcement to confiscate firearms when ordered by a Court.

Rep. MacArthur also joined colleagues on a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging “expeditious implementation of the STOP School Violence Act and other school security grant programs authorized and funded by Congress.”

Summaries of legislation cosponsored by Congressman MacArthur:

H.R. 5427 – School and Student Safety Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), this bill reauthorizes the COPS in Schools (CIS) program, which provided federal grants for hiring school resource officers (SRO) between 1999 and 2005. Reauthorizing this grant program will allow federal funding to help schools pay for trained resource officers and security guards who are capable of responding to active shooter situations.

H.R. 3207 – Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act, was introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and currently has 99 cosponsors. This bipartisan bill protects the survivors of dating violence and stalking by closing loopholes that allow known abusers and stalkers to access guns.

H.R. 5717 – Jake Laird Act, this bipartisan bill provides grants to encourage states to adopt laws similar to Indiana’s 2005 Jake Laird Law, which allows local law enforcement to seize and retain firearms from individuals who are determined by a Court to be an imminent danger to themselves or others.

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