Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38) released the following statement after President Obama announced a comprehensive set of initiatives to prevent gun violence:"I applaud President Obama for taking concrete steps to ensure that dangerous firearms never get into the hands of people who would commit unspeakable acts of violence. I support the President's plan to strengthen background checks for all gun sales and to institute bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. These measures will keep our communities safe and military-style weapons off the streets. "I also commend President Obama for making safe schools a priority in his plan. I have long advocated that we reduce school bullying and that we place more counselors in schools that need them. I am pleased the President is making sure that both bullying prevention and hiring more school counselors are integral parts of his plan to protect our children. "After the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the American people have demanded action from Congress so that senseless tragedies like this never happen again. I am proud to announce that I will soon be introducing legislation that will provide local law enforcement agencies with the resources to reduce the number of guns on the street and help with the safe disposal of unwanted firearms. "I look forward to working with President Obama and the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to find sensible solutions to reduce gun violence." Sánchez has been a longtime advocate of legislation that helps prevent gun violence. In 2003, she introduced legislation to require gun sellers to enforce current background check laws and be held accountable if they sold weapons to any person who is addicted to drugs or suffers from mental illness. In 2011, Congresswoman Sánchez re-introduced the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 1648) which would require schools and school districts to ban bullying and harassment.

********** Published: January 17, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 40