Espaillat Statement in Support of H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act

NEW YORK, NY -- Today, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement in support of H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act, a gun violence prevention package that the House will vote on next week.

"June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, a nationwide movement to call attention to the epidemic of gun violence, and House leadership has announced that when Members return the week of June 6th, the House will pass a comprehensive gun violence prevention package that the American people want and our nation so desperately needs," said Rep. Espaillat.

"I am proud that this package will include a provision to guarantee that gun parts and gun kits are classified as firearms under federal law, ensuring that they are subject to background checks--which reiterates legislation I have introduced each Congress since 2017 - H.R. 1454, the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act. The upcoming House gun violence prevention package builds upon the House’s efforts to combat the epidemic of gun violence such as the House passage of requiring universal background checks and addressing the Charleston Loophole," Espaillat continued.

"Gun violence remains a crisis that takes countless lives and a toll on our communities and children. The tragic shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; the racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York; the killings of Officers Rivera and Mora in Harlem; the brutal murder of Krystal Bayron-Nieves in East Harlem; the 11-month-old gunshot victim in the Bronx; and shootings every day in New York City and across America are utterly heartbreaking but are not unimaginable. We need more than thoughts and prayers, we need policy and action. My deepest sympathies are extended to all who have lost a loved one due to gun violence, and I commend House leadership for bringing additional gun violence prevention legislation to a vote," he added.

"After House passage of this comprehensive gun violence prevention package, we must urge our Senate colleagues to take action. Congress must send the President commonsense, life-saving legislation to be signed into law. Not doing so will deepen the suffering of the horrible gun violence crimes across our nation. This is not a matter of red or blue, it is a matter of life and death that demands true policy change," Espaillat concluded.

According to the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, every single day, 30 lives are lost to gun violence, much of which go unreported by the media.