Legislation to Watch – HR5717 Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020

 In this new ongoing series, Primer Peak is going to share information about state and federal gun legislation that we think our readers should be aware of. Times of crisis are prime for stripping away civil rights. The loss of rights is almost always done in the name of “the greater good”. However, once gone, those rights can be next to impossible to get back. By being an informed citizen you are better able to protect your rights. First up is House Resolution 5717.

HR5717

House Resolution 5717 (HR5717) – Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020. HR5717 was introduced January 30, 2020 by Henry Johnson Jr, Representative for Georgia’s 4th congressional district. The bill has been assigned to the House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means committees. No committee has taken it up as of the publish date of this article. That means now is the time to contact the Representatives that serve on these committees and let them know how you feel. Need guidance on contacting your legislators? Check out our article Second Amendment Advocacy – A How to Guide.

The bills sponsors claim the purpose of the legislation is to “end the epidemic of gun violence and build safer communities by strengthening Federal firearms laws and supporting gun violence research, intervention, and prevention initiatives.” That sounds nice enought but lets dig a little deeper.

What the Legislation Does

• Requires individuals to obtain a license to purchase, acquire, or possess a firearm or ammunition
• Raises the minimum age to purchase any firearm or ammunition from 18 to 21
• Establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties
• Requires law enforcement agencies to be notified following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial
• Creates a process for a family or household member to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to remove firearms from an individual who poses a risk of committing violence (Red Flag Law)
• Restricts the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices
• Restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, or receipt of ghost guns
• Requires federally licensed gun dealers to submit and annually certify compliance with a security plan to detect and deter firearm theft
• Removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers;
• Allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue safety standards for firearms and firearm components;
• Establishes a community violence intervention grant program;
• Promotes research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.

Why You Should Care

The concerns with this bill are pretty obvious. It manages to hit on every single gun restriction all in one swoop. Red flag laws, a gun registry, so called “assault weapons” ban, background checks for private sales, it’s all in there. While this specific bill has a relatively low chance of ever reaching the President’s desk, we still need to make sure we let our representatives know that we are aware and paying attention. It is especially important for anyone who is a constituent of any of the sponsors to reach out and let them know your thoughts.

You can get ongoing updates on this legislation here:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr5717

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5717