MATSUI STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) issued the following statement after voting with her House colleagues to pass the gun violence prevention package, S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

“Gun violence touches every corner of our nation, takes too many innocent lives, and leaves our communities torn,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Guns are now the number one killer of children in America because even our children cannot escape this senseless violence. We have a moral obligation to act. There is no excuse for further delay. That is why passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a critical first step in the right direction. This legislation is not a final solution, but it paves the way to implementing policies that are proven to save lives. The gun violence package incentivizes states to adopt red flag laws, enhances background checks for buyers under 21, closes the boyfriend loophole, and cracks down on illegal gun purchases and trafficking.” 

“Oftentimes, mental health and gun violence are part of the same conversation, and I want to be very clear: people with mental illnesses are not dangerous, and people with mental illnesses are much more likely to be the victims of gun violence than the perpetrators,” Matsui continued. “A majority of firearm deaths are suicides, and it is long past time that we had a mental health care system in place that is able to fully support the ever-growing number of people seeking help. I am glad this bill makes crucial investments in mental health resources, policy I have long championed to get support to millions of Americans.”

The legislation authorizes the nationwide expansion of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, which was first established by legislation introduced by Congresswoman Matsui in 2014. Specifically, it expands the existing ten state Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid demonstration program nationwide to increase access to a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services provided in these community-based settings. Up to 10 new states may join the demonstration every two years. The package incorporates these CCBHC provisions from legislation led by Congresswoman Matsui, H.R. 4232 the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021.  

Other critical provisions in the Bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Package include:

• Support for State Crisis Intervention Orders: Creates $750 million for states to create and administer laws that will ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals determined by a court to be a significant danger to themselves or others, and for extreme risk protection orders that have sufficient due process.
• Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence by Closing the Boyfriend Loophole: Adds convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
• Banning Gun Trafficking & Cracking Down on Straw Purchases: Cracks down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements and clarifies which sellers need to register, conduct background checks, and keep appropriate records, and creates federal straw purchasing and trafficking criminal offenses for the first time, allowing prosecutors to target dangerous illegal gunrunners.
• Enhanced Background Checks for People Under 21: Requires an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement, for buyers under 21 years of age, creating an enhanced, longer background check of up to ten days.
• Anti-Violence Community Initiatives: Provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. 
• Investing in Children & Family Mental Health Services: Supports the national expansion of community behavioral health center model; improves access to mental health services for children, youth, and families through the Medicaid program and CHIP; increases access to mental health services for youth and families in crisis via telehealth; and provides major investments at the Department of Health and Human Services to programs that expand provider training in mental health, support suicide prevention, crisis and trauma intervention and recovery.
• Investing in Safe Schools: Invests in programs to expand mental health and supportive services in schools, including early identification and intervention programs, school-based mental health and wrap-around services, improvements to school-wide learning conditions, and school safety.

“Our work is far from done,” said Matsui. “In Sacramento and across the country we now start the work to save more lives, to continue taking measures to protect our children and make our communities safer. Our voices matter, our actions matter, and we are making an impact to improve the lives of the American people.”

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