Rep. Stevens Calls on Colleagues to make Gun Violence Prevention a Priority

WASHINGTON, DC – Hours after getting sworn in as a Member of the 116th Congress, Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan's 11th Congressional District sent a letter to her new colleagues regarding her priorities for gun violence prevention. In the Dear Colleague letter, Congresswoman Stevens called for universal background checks on all gun sales, federal funding to study gun violence as a public health crisis, and a ban on accessories like bumpstocks that accelerate a weapon's rate of fire. Last month, Congresswoman Stevens was named to the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Today, on the eighth anniversary of the mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona that left six people dead and 13 others wounded, including then-Representative Gabrielle Giffords, House Democrats will unveil the first major gun safety reform bill of the 116th Congress. The bipartisan bill would require background checks on the sale of any firearm. 

Please find the full text of the Dear Colleague letter below: 

"As I took my very first oath of office today, I did so to protect the safety and wellbeing of all Americans and to diligently represent the people of Michigan’s 11th District. That is why I am committed to addressing the threat of gun violence as one of my top priorities in Congress.

There is a long tradition of gun ownership in America. Many of my friends and family are among the millions of responsible gun owners in this country. I grew up engaging in the sport of riflery. It is important that we honor the rights of gun ownership for sport and self-defense, while acting deliberately to address the crisis of gun violence in America.

The time to act is now. And we cannot wait for another loss of precious life by the malicious use of firearms. I will not wait for another day to go by where families and children are threatened and, in worst case scenarios, killed in their schools, in their places of worship, or their neighborhoods and homes. I firmly believe that we can pass life-saving gun laws while respecting the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.

First and foremost, Congress must institute a universal background check system and authorize the resources to bolster its enforcement. This is what the American people want, regardless of political affiliation – 97 percent of Americans and 97 percent of gun owners support requiring a background check for all gun sales.

We must finally fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study gun violence as a public health crisis. More Americans died from gun violence in 2017 than any other year on record, yet some of the smartest health experts in this country have been unable to study this epidemic, which would give us the needed scientific grounding to address this problem in sound and reasoned ways. Just as the CDC helped us identify the risk factors for deadly car crashes, we should empower this agency to help us understand the causes of gun violence.

We must also pass legislation to prevent the use of accessories, such as bumpstocks, that accelerate a weapon’s rate of fire. These accessories skirt the intent of our laws, which have strictly regulated automatic weapons for decades. Bumpstocks and other accessories are designed to allow shooters to inflict mass death and destruction, and they make our communities unsafe.

As an incoming member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and so long as I am a public servant, I will continue to prioritize legislation to end this crisis. Until the day that every American lives free from fear of gun violence, I urge you to join me in forcing the hand of Congress and the President to hold sacred American lives above the interests of the gun lobby. We can and we will."

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