Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted for the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, H.R. 1808, to ban the sale, import, manufacture, or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons.  Congresswoman Fletcher is a co-sponsor of this legislation. 

“Public safety is the first responsibility of government.  Yet, across our country, we’re seeing increasing gun violence—and seeing mass violence in places where we come together in our communities, including schools, grocery stores, and places of worship,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “Passing the Assault Weapons Ban and keeping these weapons of war off our streets is one way Congress can help make our communities safer.  We know that gunmen in recent mass shootings have repeatedly used high-powered assault weapons intentionally to inflict maximum damage.  Reinstating a ban on those weapons can meaningfully reduce the death and devastation in our communities, and for these reasons I support it and other efforts to keep us safe from gun violence.”

Specifically, the Assault Weapons Ban:

• Prohibits the sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons, subject to grandfathering provisions and other exceptions;
• Requires that semiautomatic assault weapons be securely stored so that they are not accessible to those who are prohibited from possessing them;
• Allows states to use grant funds for voluntary buyback programs for semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity magazines; and
• Exempts the use of semiautomatic assault weapons for specific uses such as law enforcement and nuclear security.

Last month, Congresswoman Fletcher voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, S. 2938, the largest federal gun safety legislation since 1994.  She also co-sponsored and voted for the Protecting Our Kids Act, H.R. 7910, a comprehensive package of common-sense gun safety legislation.  She also voted for the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, H.R. 2377, to establish a national red flag law to temporarily remove firearms from those who pose a threat to themselves or others.  

Last year, Congresswoman Fletcher co-sponsored and voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 8, to require universal background checks and close the loopholes in national background check systems that enable domestic abusers and convicted felons to purchase guns, and voted for the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 1446, which would close the Charleston Loophole, a federal law that allows gun purchases to move forward by default after three business days even if a background check has not been completed.  Both bills passed the House in March 2021.