June 4, 2022 - Fresno, Calif. – Congressman Jim Costa, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus, released the following statement after the introduction of H.R. 7910 - Protecting our Kids Act, a comprehensive common-sense legislative package of gun safety reforms that will help save lives.

“Gun violence is plaguing our schools, grocery stores, and now our hospitals. Enough is enough!” said Costa. “I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation to enact common-sense gun safety reforms that will help save lives and prevent brutal mass shootings from happening again.” 

The House is expected to vote on two pieces of gun legislation next week. Congressman Costa is a co-sponsor of both bills.

The Protecting our Kids Act would do the following: 

• Raise the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 years old

• Outlaw high-capacity magazines and bump stocks for civilian use, as these only make mass shootings more deadly

• Subject ghost gun purchases to background check requirements

• Crack down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to get illegal guns off our streets

• Strengthen safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings

The Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act would keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others by implementing a nationwide extreme risk law and encouraging states to enact their own extreme risk laws.

In the past month, Americans have witnessed an onslaught of mass shootings:

• May 14, 2022 - A gunman carried out a racist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten individuals and injuring three other people.

• May 24, 2022 - An eighteen-year-old gunman carried out a deadly massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that left twenty-one people dead, nineteen of them were children.

• May 29, 2022 - Six teenagers were injured, including two with life-threatening injuries during a gunfire in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

• June 1, 2022 - A gunman opened fire at an office building within Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing four people and injuring several others.

• June 2, 2022 - Several people were shot during a funeral while burying a family member lost to gun violence in Racine, Wisconsin.
  Source: Congressman Jim Costa