The Toll of Gun Violence

According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2023 the United States had 46,445 gun-violence deaths, including 19,135 homicides and 27,310 suicides, plus another 36,562 injuries. There were 659 mass shootings and 40 mass murders. Of those killed, 301 were children and another 1,401 were teens. For the past five years, guns remained the leading cause of death among young people ages 1–17, with more deaths than any other single cause, including car crashes, overdoses and cancers.

Measures Jan Supports

While respecting the Second Amendment, I recommend the following measures:

• Ban assault weapons
• Ban high-capacity magazines
• Ban bump stocks for civilians
• Require universal background checks
• Close internet and gun-show loopholes
• Close the “Charleston” three-day loophole
• Restrict ownership by the seriously mentally ill and suspected terrorists
• Restrict firearm ownership by persons under 21

I oppose concealed-carry reciprocity.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban

Such ideas are scarcely innovative. A federal Assault Weapons Ban—officially known as the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994—was in effect from September 13, 1994, through September 13, 2004. It included limits on magazines holding more than ten rounds. The ban survived several legal challenges, but Congress allowed the 10-year measure to expire.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

In June 2023, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). This was the first major gun-safety legislation passed by Congress since the Assault Weapons Ban. Among other things, the BSCA expanded firearms background-check requirements for people under age 21, established new criminal offenses for straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, and extended firearms-related restrictions to individuals convicted of domestic-violence misdemeanors.