U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham released the following statement in response to the President’s executive action today on gun violence prevention:

“Albuquerque experienced a 53-percent increase in murders last year, and clearly, gun violence played a role in many of those tragedies. That startling statistic doesn’t include accidental shootings, suicides, domestic violence and many other instances involving gun violence. We must act to stop gun violence.

“I welcome the President’s executive action on gun violence, including more robust background checks to prevent felons, domestic abusers and certain individuals who are mentally ill from buying a gun. Ultimately, Congress must act to close dangerous loopholes. Until then, if the President’s executive action saves even one life, it is worth the effort.”

Lujan Grisham is a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. She is a co-sponsor of several gun violence prevention bills, including:  

• H.R. 1217, the bipartisan King-Thompson legislation that requires comprehensive and enforceable background checks, while closing dangerous loopholes that allow people to purchase guns over the Internet, at gun shows, or through classified ads, without having first passed a background check.

• Legislation to repeal the prohibition on the Centers for Disease Control from studying gun violence in the U.S.

• Preventing people on the FBI terrorist Watchlist from buying a gun (More than 2,000 suspects purchased guns in 11 years)

• Legislation to prohibit the sale, transfer, manufacturing, and importation of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds, while protecting hunting and sporting rifles and assault weapons used by members of the military and law enforcement.