Congresswoman: “I Used To Carry A Gun Every Single Day — I Know What It Is To Be A Responsible Gun Owner”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger — a Member of the U.S. House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force — urged Speaker Johnson to bring bipartisan legislation to the U.S. House floor to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic.

In an average year, 1,121 Virginians die by guns and 1,911 are wounded. To help prevent gun violence in communities in Virginia and across the United States, Spanberger urged Speaker Johnson to bring bipartisan legislation to expand background checks and reinstate a ban on the manufacturing, sale, and transfer of military-style weapons to the floor of the U.S. House for a vote.

Click here to watch her remarks, and a full transcript of her comments is below.

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Mister Speaker, I rise today during National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

I am proud to represent Virginia’s Seventh District, and in the Commonwealth, we know far too well the horrors of gun violence that impact our communities. From our universities to our Walmarts to our playgrounds to our walking paths to our elementary schools, people across our Commonwealth and the rest of the country have been impacted by acts of gun violence that forever change lives.

I’m a former federal agent. I used to carry a gun every single day — I know what it is to be a responsible gun owner. And I also know that background checks are proven to help law enforcement keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves and others — and we must ensure that we have background checks on all firearms purchases.

And I know that Congress must reinstate a ban on the manufacturing, sale, and transfer of military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

And I urge Speaker Johnson to bring these measures forward.

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Spanberger has been a consistent voice for further commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. Earlier this year, Spanberger urged Speaker Johnson to bring bipartisan legislation to the U.S. House floor that would codify a ban on bump stocks for civilian use under federal law. In January of this year, she urged the Speaker to work with Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation to help address the gun violence epidemic.

In June 2023, Spanberger helped lead an effort to force a vote on three commonsense gun violence prevention measures — the Assault Weapons Ban, Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and Enhanced Background Checks Act — to take action to address gun violence and prevent mass shootings. Later that year, she helped lead a 68-Member effort urging President Biden to take further actions to combat gun violence and limit the sale of assault weapons.

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