Oak Park and River Forest mayor Anan Abu-Taleb and Cathy Adducci have joined a growing list of more than 200 mayors nationwide in signing a letter to U.S. Senate leaders, urging them to pass gun safety legislation.
The letter by the United States Conference of Mayors follows a string of mass shootings over in recent weeks in California, Texas and Ohio.
The letter sent to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calls on the U.S. Senate to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019.
“Already in 2019, there have been over 250 mass shootings,” the letter states. “The tragic events in El Paso and Dayton this weekend are just the latest reminders that our nation can no longer wait for our federal government to take the actions necessary to prevent people who should not have access to firearms from being able to purchase them.”
Both proposals have been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on bipartisan lines, according to the letter.
The Bipartisan Background Check Act would do the following, according to the letter:
- Require firearm purchases to undergo a NICS background check.
- Help prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining deadly weapons by exploiting loopholes in existing law.
- Prohibit unlicensed transfers of firearms through unregulated secondary sales.
- Increase law enforcement’s ability to trace firearms used in crimes.
The Enhanced Background Checks Act would lengthen the deadline for background check reviews from three to 10 business. The bill aims to “help ensure that background checks are completed before weapons are sold and that dangerous individuals who should not have them are unable to purchase them,” according to the letter.
tim@oakpark.com
