To address a rise in gun violence, the House passed the Protecting Our Kids Act on Wednesday. In support of stricter gun control measures, Florida Rep. Ted Deutch (D) spoke before the house, saying that the house "began to do better" by passing the legislation and sending it to the Senate.
Rep. Deutch, who is not seeking reelection, shared his remarks on the House floor on Twitter.
In it, Deutch supported stricter gun control measures after a string of tragic shootings have emerged across the country. Moreover, the vote comes after Republicans and Democrats have grown more divisive on the subject.
"I carry 2 documents that inform everything I do in Congress: the U.S. Constitution & the list of those lost in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018," Deutch shared, adding that "none of the 17 members of my community slaughtered with an AR-15 can petition the government for redress of their grievances. So I do."
I carry 2 documents that inform everything I do in Congress: the U.S. Constitution & the list of those lost in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018.
None of the 17 members of my community slaughtered w/an AR-15 can petition the gov't for redress of their grievances. So I do.
See my remarks: pic.twitter.com/59aH85DNx4— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) June 9, 2022
The legislation raises "the age to buy semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21," and Deutch estimates that "that could have saved 56 lives lost in mass shootings since Columbine, including the 17 lost in Parkland." Moreover, the bill would "ban high-capacity magazines for rifles and handguns and... ban bump stocks for civilian use." Deutch notes that this "could have saved 311 lives since Columbine."
Deutch further explained that the legislation would "pass best practices for safe gun storage and penalize those who fail to secure a gun from those who can't own one, including minors," which "could have saved 86 lives."
Finally, the bill would "subject ghost guns to existing federal firearm regulations," which Deutch argues "could have saved at least 15 lives, including 3 lost in the Philadelphia shooting on Saturday."
Commenting that the House took the vote as a sign of picking "a side," Deutch affirmed that "every single Member of Congress was on the record siding with our children or with the gun lobby," and Deutch stresses that he was "proud to stand with the children, especially the young people from Parkland."
