Rep. Eric SwalwellVerified account

Today is #NationalGunViolenceAwareness Day. As a former prosecutor, I've seen 1st-hand the kind of damage guns can cause to communities and families. 58% of American adults say they or someone they care for has experienced gun violence. It is time to put an end to this bloodshed.

Approximately three million American children witness gun violence every year. Firearms are the second leading cause of death for American children and teens and the first leading cause of death for Black children and teens. #EnoughIsEnough, our children deserve better.

Nearly 2/3rds of gun deaths are suicides. The US gun suicide rate is 10x that of other high-income countries and access to a gun increases the risk of death by suicide by 3x. Gun suicides are concentrated in states with high rates of gun ownership. #EnoughIsEnough.

Domestic violence is more likely to turn deadly when a gun is present in the home. An abusive partner’s access to guns increases the risk of homicide for women 5x. About 4.5 million women in the U.S. report having been threatened w/ a gun by an intimate partner. #EnoughIsEnough.

I wrote #HR1287, the No Guns for Abusers Act, to combat this. Anyone charged with or convicted of a domestic violence crime shouldn’t have access to firearms.