Thompson announced that a discharge petition had been filed for the Keep Americans Safe Act, requiring a vote in Congress about banning large-capacity magazines
By ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL — city@theaggie.org
On Jan. 11, Representative Mike Thompson (CA-04), who represents Davis and most of Yolo County, announced his intention to file a discharge petition for the Keep Americans Safe Act. The petition would require a vote from Congress on whether to pass a ban on large-capacity magazines for semi-automatic and automatic guns.
Accompanied by Representative Dianne DeGette (CO-01) at a DC press conference, Rep. Thompson spoke about the necessity for Congress to take decisive action to regulate large-capacity magazines.
“Large-capacity magazines are a threat to our kids in schools, our communities and to our law enforcement on the streets who are outgunned by dangerous individuals in possession of these magazines,” Thompson said. “The only reason someone would want a large capacity magazine for a semi-automatic weapon would be to inflict massive amounts of carnage in a short period of time. I am proud to work with Diana DeGette to advance this commonsense piece of legislation, and I implore my colleagues on the other side to work with us to help save lives.”
Rep. DeGette represents much of Denver city and county in her home district. At the press conference, DeGette called the gun violence crisis an “epidemic” and said this petition would address the crisis.
“High-capacity magazines serve no purpose other than to amplify the destructive potential of firearms,” DeGette said. “Sensible gun safety protects our collective well-being, because, as we’ve seen, someone with a high-capacity weapon can commit these shootings anywhere, anytime. So the time to act is now, and this discharge petition gives us the opportunity to address the epidemic of gun violence that has claimed far too many lives.”
The Keep Americans Safe Act aims to authorize the implementation of a buyback program for individuals within possession of high-capacity magazines. The legislation would also give law enforcement the ability to dispose of any high-capacity magazines that were illegally possessed.
Roan Thibault, an organizer with Students Demand Action at UC Davis, talked about the move by Thompson to require congressional action to address gun violence.
“Our chapter and the broader national network strongly support Rep. Thomspon’s leadership to keep communities safe from gun violence,” Thibault said. “Guns are the leading killer of college-aged students, and high-capacity magazines make this toll even deadlier. Nearly twice as many people are killed when mass shootings involve high-capacity magazines and nearly ten times as many are wounded.”
Students Demand Action at UC Davis is part of a national network of 700 chapters with the goal of ending gun violence, according to Thibault.
“We advocate for a range of solutions to tackle every facet of gun violence,” Thibault said. “From background checks on every gun sale to red flag laws and prohibiting assault weapons, these policies effectively combat gun violence.”
Written by: Anthony W. Zammikiel — city@theaggie.org
