The monumental legislation that was signed into law by President Joe Biden and is being commemorated today is historic because it is taking real steps toward reducing mass shootings in America and implementing common-sense gun safety policies at the national level. Representative Dan Daley (D-Sunrise) has the distinct honor of joining his colleague Senator Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens) at the White House for this joyous occasion, a moment that America has spent nearly three decades waiting for.
“While there is still more to do, this national legislation represents the most significant step forward to protect communities against gun violence in decades. It’s a somber realization that for the majority of my life, gun violence has increased, making its way through churches, malls, schools, including my alma mater Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and even community parades, as we tragically saw just last week. Until today, Congress did very little to stop this growing scourge on our nation. I applaud the bipartisan support of this life saving legislation and will continue to work to pass more common-sense gun safety legislation in Florida,” said Representative Daley.
The legislation will close the current “boyfriend loophole” and will be a critical step to preventing people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun to include romantic or intimate partners. The old version of the law only applied to married people living with or having a child with the victim, thus creating the deadly loophole.
Additionally, the bill addresses mental health and the gun purchasing process. The bill signed into law today invests more than $7 billion in mental health services and provides state funding for what are known as “red flag laws,” enhancing the background check process for gun buyers ages 18 to 21 and cracking down on the illegal gun trafficking.
Representative Daley is available for interviews about the bipartisan gun safety legislation ceremony. To reach Representative Daley for an interview, email [email protected].
