“Reject this Giant Step Backward that will Produce More Gun Violence”

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Member of the House Ways & Means Tax Policy Subcommittee, spoke out on the House Floor against gun violence. He voted "no" on House Joint Resolution 40, which would overturn an existing Social Security Administration (SSA) rule that requires submission of records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). House Joint Resolution 40 would weaken the firearms background check system by excluding those with the most severe and incapacitating forms of impairment. Some Americans who have a mental impairment that is so significant, either from birth or contracting it thereafter, that taxpayers provide them support through the Social Security Disability System. They're declared to be disabled. And within that group, there is a much smaller group whose disability is so severe that they can't handle their own affairs. Remarking on the effect of this resolution, Rep. Doggett said:

"They can't receive a check in their hands – you have to give it to someone else – but it's okay to put a gun in their hands. And that's what this proposal does."

"The American people and the families that are being hurt day after day by gun violence – they deserve some due process too. Let's uphold this rule and reject this step backward, this giant step backward, that will only produce more gun violence and more families torn asunder."

You can access the full video of Rep. Doggett's remarks here: https://youtu.be/uHZY3aUsmWA

You can find a full transcript below.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett

February 2, 2017

House Floor Speech

At a time here in America when mass shootings have become all too frequent, at a time when bullets literally rip apart human bodies and human families and cause so much pain. At a time when effective groups like Moms Demand Action and Texas Gun Sense and the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative are asking this Congress to act to reduce gun violence, this Congress has committed itself to doing absolutely nothing about that violence.

If you are on the terrorist watch list, and you cannot fly? Not to worry about buying a gun. No fly but you can buy.

And today we are told that the problem isn't that there are too many guns out there causing too much harm to American families. They're not enough. A group got left out, omitted from access to guns.

There are a group of Americans who either from birth or contracting some mental disability later in life, have an impairment, a mental impairment, that is so significant that we ask taxpayers across America to provide them support through the Social Security Disability System. They're declared to be disabled. And within that group that is taxpayer funded, there is a much smaller group whose disability is so severe that they can't handle their own affairs. They can't receive a check. But these folks say, don't worry that you can't place a check in their hands, you have to give it to someone else, it's okay to put a gun in their hands. And that's what this proposal does.

We have, as they have failed to point out, a system in place at the Veterans Administration so that if someone is a veteran and they are disabled there is a process by which they are included in this system. But these folks instead of reaching out to do something about gun violence in America propose to make more accessible to individuals who are so impaired that they cannot take care of themselves in many ways, cannot even accept a check, to say give them a gun.

There are already safeguards in this Rule. Someone can appeal being listed and say, you know, I can't accept this check, but I do have an ability to own a gun, and they can do that

through the Social Security Administration as soon as they see their name on the list. Or if they are denied a purchase at a later time and they are someone who doesn't belong on this list, there is a way to get off the list.

In short there is due process for them to assure that they are not unfairly denied a gun purchase.

But the American people and the families that are being hurt day after day by gun violence-- they deserve some due process too. Let's uphold this rule and reject this step backward, this giant step backward, that will only produce more gun violence and more families torn asunder.