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Latta Votes Against Legislation Restricting Americans’ Second Amendment Rights

Washington, D.C. , March 11, 2021 | Rebecca Angelson (202.225.6405)

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) provided the following statement after voting against two pieces of legislation, H.R.8 and H.R.1446, seeking to punish law-abiding Americans by restricting their constitutional rights:

“We must do everything we can in Congress to ensure Americans have a safe community to call home. And that means pursuing real solutions that will give law enforcement and local community leaders the resources they need to prevent heinous acts of violence.

“It is disappointing that House Democrats passed two bills that impose arbitrary and vague firearm requirements that will make it harder for Americans to defend themselves. While there was a hunting exception included, it is so vague that it may criminalize sportsmen and sportswomen who are simply handing a firearm to their hunting partner. These proposed ‘solutions’ punish law-abiding citizens under the guise of working to address gun violence, and lack desperate attention needed on increasing access to mental health resources.

“Republicans previously passed legislation to fix and strengthen the NICS background check system, provide more resources to schools to address gun violence, and reform the mental health system. We should focus on enforcing the laws on the books, which already prohibit the transferring of firearms to anyone known or believed to be prohibited from possessing firearms.”

H.R. 8 and H.R.1446 are partisan congressional attempts to bypass the Constitution and the Second Amendment.

H.R. 8 includes provisions to:

  • Require federal background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions.
  • Make it unlawful for anyone who is not a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to transfer a firearm to someone else who is not so licensed, unless it is first taken possession of by a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer.

There are no caps on what a federal firearm licensee (FFL) could charge to facilitate the private transfers and conduct background checks. Violating this act could lead to up to one year in prison and/or a $100,000 fine.

H.R.1446 includes provisions to eliminate the 3-day "safety valve" proceed to sale provision under the federal firearms background check system and replace with a new prolonged background check. It would result in arbitrary delays that could curb the rights of millions of law-abiding Americans to protect and defend their families. Additionally, without the three day proceed to sale provision, the FBI has no incentive to complete background checks in a timely manner.

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