Rep. Sherrill Condemns Senate Inaction on Anniversary of H.R. 8 Passage

Washington, DC — Today marks one year since the House of Representatives passed the landmark Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) which would require universal background checks for gun purchases. Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), a U.S. Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, marked the anniversary by renewing her call for the Senate to take up H.R. 8 and join the overwhelming majority of Americans who want to see universal background check legislation.

“It is reprehensible that Senator Mitch McConnell still refuses to act a year after passing a universal background checks bill that more than 90 percent of Americans support,” said Representative Sherrill. “New Jersey’s strong gun safety laws will continue to be undermined by states with weak gun safety laws until we have federal action. There were more mass shootings in 2019 than there are days in a year. Senator McConnell must end his cruel, illogical blockade of common-sense gun safety and pass our universal background checks bill.”

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 417 mass shootings in the United States in 2019.

Representative Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot and former federal prosecutor. She qualified as an expert shot in the rifle and pistol in the U.S. Navy and as a federal prosecutor worked to keep illegal guns off the streets of New Jersey. H.R. 8 was the first bill Representative Sherrill co-sponsored as a Member of Congress.