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On February 27, 2019, the House of Representatives passed universal background checks bill H.R. 8 by a vote of 240-190. It was the first gun control bill of significance to pass Congress in many years. H.R. 8 would require background checks on all private sales of firearms save those between immediate family members.
All House Democrats voted YES on H.R. 8 except for Reps. Collin Peterson (MN) and Jared Golden (ME). All House Republicans voted NO on H.R. 8 except for Reps. Peter King (NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Fred Upton (MI), Chris Smith (NJ), Brian Mast (FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Vern Buchanan (FL), and Will Hurd (TX).
Unfortunately, the Republicans were successful in adding an ugly and xenophobic amendment to H.R. 8. Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia introduced the amendment, which would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be notified whenever an undocumented immigrant attempts to buy a gun from a federally licensed dealer. Republicans passed the Collins Amendment by a vote of 220-209 with the support of 26 defecting Democrats: Reps. Cindy Axne (IA), Anthony Brindisi (NY), Jim Costa (CA), Angie Craig (MN), Charlie Crist (FL), Joe Cunningham (SC), Antonio Delgado (NY). Abby Finkenauer(IA), Jared Golden (ME), Josh Gotteimer (NJ), Kendra Horn (OK), Andy Kim (NJ) Conor Lamb (PA), Susie Lee (NV), Elaine Luria (VA), Ben McAdams (UT), Stephanie Murphy (FL), Tom O’Halleran (AZ), Collin Peterson (MN), Max Rose (NY), Kurt Schrader (OR), Mikie Sherrill (NJ). Elissa Slotkin (MI), Abigail Spanberger (VA), Xochitl Torres Small (NM) and Jeff Van Drew (NJ).
Please call your U.S. Representative through the U.S. Capitol Hotline at (202) 224-3121 and give him/her one of the following messages, personalized to your liking:
Democrats who Voted YES on H.R. 8 and NO on Collins Amendment
Thank you so much for voting YES on universal background checks bill H.R. 8 and NO on Rep. Doug Collins’ amendment to notify ICE when undocumented immigrants purchase firearms from federally licensed dealers. Gun control is a moral imperative and it meant a great deal to me you voted the right way on both the amendment and the overall bill. PLEASE keep pushing more gun control bills to the floor for votes! Universal background checks should just be the start for the House. The United States of America has the weakest gun laws in the free world and there is more work to be done to save lives.
Democrats who Voted YES on H.R. 8 and YES on Collins Amendment
Thank you so much for voting YES on universal background checks bill H.R. 8. Gun control is a moral imperative and I was so pleased to see you support this legislation to make it harder for violent people to buy guns. I was deeply disturbed, however, to see you support Rep. Doug Collins’ amendment to notify ICE when undocumented immigrants attempt to purchase firearms from federally licensed dealers. ICE is one of the Trump administration agencies that is systematically destroying families at the border and traumatizing God knows how many children. You know full well the amendment was a cynical ploy by Republicans who don’t care one iota about the death and suffering caused by gun violence You should have stood with your party and rejected the Collins Amendment outright. In the coming weeks, I want to see you pushing for MORE votes on gun control bills. Universal background checks should just be the start for the House. The United States of America has the weakest gun laws in the free world and there is much more work to be done to save lives.
Republicans Voted YES on H.R. 8 and YES on Collins Amendment
Thank you so much for voting YES on universal background checks bill H.R. 8. Gun control is a moral imperative and I was so pleased to see you support this legislation to make it harder for violent people to buy guns. I was disturbed, however, to see you support Rep. Doug Collins’ amendment to notify ICE when undocumented immigrants attempt to purchase firearms from federally licensed dealers. ICE is one of the Trump administration agencies that is systematically destroying families at the border and traumatizing God knows how many children. You know full well the amendment was a cynical ploy by Collins to catch red state Democrats in tough votes. Gun violence is a serious issue. As your constituent, I want to see you treat it that way. In the coming weeks, I want to see you pushing for MORE votes on gun control bills. Universal background checks should just be the start for the House. The United States of America has the weakest gun laws in the free world and there is much more work to be done to save lives.
Republicans who voted NO on H.R. 8 and YES on the Collins Amendment
As your constituent, I was very upset to see you vote No on universal background checks bill H.R. 8 and YES on a noxious amendment by Rep. Doug Collins that would require ICE to be notified when undocumented immigrants attempt to buy a firearm. It is clear to me that you do not have the heart or the integrity to support even the most modest of measures to prevent gun violence. You simply do not value human life. I will therefore be dedicating my time and energy to supporting your opponent in the 2020 election. I refuse to live in a country marred by daily gun-related horrors because of the inaction of corrupt, morally bankrupt politicians.
If you don’t know who your U.S. Representative is, or want additional contact information, click here:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Once you have contacted your Representative, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!