Davis Named Gun Violence Prevention Hero by Brady Campaign
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) this week was named Gun Violence Prevention Hero of the Week by the Brady Campaign for the introduction of the Prevent Family Fire Act. Davis joined five of his colleagues to introduce this bipartisan bill to promote the safe storage of firearms and encourage the sale of more gun safes through a tax incentive.
"It's going to take members who are willing to look at every aspect of this issue and set politics aside to find solutions and that's exactly what we are doing here," said Davis. "As a gun owner, I always keep my gun in a safe and I hope this legislation helps raise awareness and encourages the sale of more firearm safes. The safe storage of firearms can help reduce suicide, accidental shootings, theft of firearms, school shootings, and other instances of gun violence. This bipartisan bill is a great example of how we can come together to push bipartisan solutions to prevent gun violence."
Why It's Necessary Over 75 percent of school shootings involve kids and teens having access to unsecured or unsupervised guns at home, and more than 80 percent of guns used by youth in suicide attempts were kept in the home of the victim, a relative, or a friend. Keeping firearms safely stored reduces the chances of family fire by 73 percent, and according to a study released this year, even a modest intervention that motivates households to safely store guns could reduce youth firearm deaths by up to 32 percent. What They Are Saying This bill has the support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the Brady Campaign, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “There is an epidemic of gun violence in our country, and we must come together – both Democrats and Republicans – to save lives,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), lead Democrat sponsor of the bill. “We need to do more to address gun violence, and this bipartisan bill is a strong step we can take in the meantime to reduce unintentional discharges, suicides, and school shootings. I am incredibly proud to introduce this legislation with colleagues from both sides of the aisle, and I’ll continue to fight every single day to advance legislation that reduces gun violence.” “Serving in combat as a Marine, we were always vigilant against friendly fire, to protect our brothers and sisters in arms,” said Brady Vice President of Programs Kyleanne Hunter. “As a gun owner in civilian life, I know we must do whatever we can to protect against family fire – death or injury resulting from an improperly stored or misused gun found in the home. Every day, eight children and teens are shot unintentionally and 60 Americans will be lost to suicide by gun. By providing incentives for safe firearms storage device sales, we can help prevent one of the greatest contributors to injury-related death in America, and we are proud to stand behind Representatives Levin, Davis, Boyle, Stefanik, Schrier, and Turner for the introduction of this lifesaving legislation.” “Safe storage of firearms combined with educating gun owners about suicide warning signs can help reduce suicide deaths,” said Robert Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Therefore, we are encouraged by Congressional efforts to provide incentives for safe storage of firearms.” |
