As the sponsor of the Fix Gun Checks Act and the representative for both members of the NYPD who were shot recently, I urge Congress pass my legislation in order to cut down on gun violence.
We’re very lucky that Detective Herlihy and Officer Brennan survived their shootings. We’re not so lucky, however, that Washington is too scared of the gun manufacturing lobby to take strong action against the problem of career criminals with illegal guns.
The Fix Gun Checks Act would make it harder for criminals and unscrupulous straw buyers to buy guns without background checks – Congress should start there to perform one of its most critical functions – protecting the safety and lives of law enforcement and innocent civilians.
Detective Kevin Herlihy, who was shot in Harlem on February 14, is a resident of Lynbrook. Officer Kevin Brennan, who was shot in Brooklyn on January 31, is a resident of Garden City Park.
The Fix Gun Checks Act, strongly supported by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, would close the “gun show loophole” and help keep guns out of the hands of criminals by requiring a background check for every gun sale in America, and implement a set of reforms to strengthen the nation’s instant criminal background check system. I have 82 House co-sponsors supporting the bill.
Carolyn McCarthy is the representative of New York’s Fourth Congressional District. She was first elected in 1996.
