HR 5717 Update

A couple months ago, we wrote an article about H.R. 5717. In the article, we broke down some of the items the House Resolution mentions, while also asking our viewership interpretation about the matter. We did this in hopes you all would read not just the article, but the proposed legislation for yourself.Since then, the article has garnered thousands of reads and over 200 comments. A couple of those comments asked what the current status of the bill is. So, we followed up.When we wrote the article, H.R. 5717 was still in a proposed status. According to the congress.gov website for the bill, it is still in the same proposed status. On March 10, it was assigned or, in the site's verbiage, "referred" to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.Some people are still unsure of the full spectrum of the proposed bill, so we will provide you the summary, as it shows on congress.gov, here.

Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020This bill makes various changes to the federal framework governing the sale, transfer, and possession of firearms and ammunition. Among other things, the bill does the following:

• generally requires individuals to obtain a license to purchase, acquire, or possess a firearm or ammunition;
• raises the minimum age—from 18 years to 21 years—to purchase firearms and ammunition;
• establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties;
• requires law enforcement agencies to be notified following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial;
• creates a statutory process for a family or household member to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to remove firearms from an individual who poses a risk of committing violence;
• restricts the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices;
• restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, or receipt of ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers);
• makes trafficking in firearms a stand-alone criminal offense;
• requires federally licensed gun dealers to submit and annually certify compliance with a security plan to detect and deter firearm theft;
• removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers;
• allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue safety standards for firearms and firearm components;
• establishes a community violence intervention grant program; and
• promotes research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.

Now, you have the information straight from the resource. Do you agree? We had a resounding amount of commentators state they definitely did not agree.A few people also asked how they can ensure this piece of legislation does not get passed, or go any further. Well, for starters, contact your congressperson. We wrote an article about how to do so, here. The other thing you can do, regardless of how you feel about the bill, is VOTE.Now that we have laid out additional information, what do you think? Drop a comment!