Gun Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, entered the following statement into the Congressional record for the debate on S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: “Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my concerns regarding the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. While I support the underlying bill and appreciate that several Republican Senators finally came to the table to work with Democrats to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic, I remain troubled by the legislation’s possible expansion of the federal death penalty and the creation of broad new criminal offenses that may disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of the House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act by a vote of 223-204: “Like everyone across the country, I am devasted by the gun violence in Buffalo and Uvalde, and the routine gun violence that plagues our communities every single day. For years, we have failed to take meaningful action to stop this violence.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement in response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas: “My heart is broken for the entire Uvalde community. Parents send their children to school with the basic expectation that they will come home safe at the end of the day. The Uvalde community sadly joins an unfortunately long list of other communities across our country to face such unspeakable atrocities — and less than two weeks since the horrific mass shooting in Buffalo. Yet not one new federal law has been enacted in response to any of those tragedies in order to prevent another.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to President Biden’s State of the Union address to Congress. “Tonight, President Biden laid out a path for how we continue to build back a better America— one where we can continue to lower costs for all Americans and secure democracy across the world. As President Biden noted, the American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed last March, provided historic relief that helped reopen classrooms safely, supported workers who lost their jobs, and ensured struggling Americans could get back on their feet. The return on these investments is clear in our economic recovery.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News: “My thoughts are with all the victims, their loved ones, and the entire community at Heritage High School. And I want to commend the Newport News Police Department for their response. While the news crews will eventually leave the scene, many of the students and faculty will carry this event with them for the rest of their lives. It is a cruel irony that schools have only just returned to the classroom for full-time instruction since the start of the pandemic and we are already grappling with another act of senseless of gun violence.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a Vice Chair of House Democratic Caucus’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, a bill that closes the “Charleston” loophole which allows someone to purchase a firearm three days after a background check begins even if it hasn’t been completed: “For too long, Americans have been forced to live with gun violence and mass shootings at our schools, places of worship, concerts, and in our neighborhoods.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the selection of Republican Members to the House Education and Labor Committee. “House Republican leadership is responsible for appointing Republican Members to the Education and Labor Committee who can make a positive contribution to our work. These appointments are supposed to reflect their commitment to serving students, parents, and educators. House Republicans have appointed someone to this Committee who claimed that the killing of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Donald McEachin (VA-04) will host a town hall meeting in Chesapeake, Virginia. This town hall will be an opportunity for constituents to learn more about the Representatives’ efforts to protect access to affordable health care, as well as hear more about the critical legislation House Democrats have passed in the first 200 days of the new Congress. This will be an opportunity for residents of the 3rd and 4th congressional districts to provide comments and ask questions.