New legislation being proposed by an ultra-progressive member of the House would require all dealers of firearms to sell a lock for each gun purchase that is made.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, recently proposed the Safe Storage Saves Lives Act. She said that by requiring gun dealers to sell gun locks with every gun that they sell, it would help to prevent any accidental shooting from happening.
The new bill, if passed, would establish a “requirement that a gun seller have a compatible gun lock available for every firearm for sale.”
It would also be against the law for anyone to put a gun up for sale unless that person also offers either a safety device or secure storage for the gun that is compatible with that particular firearm.
Anyone who is found to be in violation of the bill would face a fine of up to $1,000.
In a press release she sent in announcing her proposal, Tlaib said:
“It’s horrifying that 4.6 million children in our country live in homes with a loaded and unlocked firearm. Tragically, in Southeast Michigan, we have witnessed the deadly consequences of children having easy access to firearms in their homes. Safe storage is key to protecting our children from gun violence.
“The Safe Storage Saves Lives Act will require a gun lock with every gun sold in the United States. We must move with the urgency this moment demands and pass common sense gun safety legislation that will save lives.
The co-sponsor of the bill is Maxwell Frost, a Democratic congressman from Florida. He said in that same press release that the bill could end up saving “hundreds of innocent lives a year.”
The National Rifle Association called out the Michigan congresswoman immediately after her bill was announced. They said that there is no need for the bill, since gun manufacturers already have gun locks that accompany the firearms that they sell.
As the organization said:
“Representative Tlaib isn’t educated on this topic. Firearm manufacturers already provide a lock with every gun that is sold, and anyone looking for additional gun locks can get them free through Project Childsafe, an industry program that provides free gun locks to anyone who wants one.”
Tlaib and her congressional office didn’t respond to requests for comments to the NRA’s statement.
It seems, then, that Tlaib is just looking to make headlines instead of actually trying to get work done to fix a particular issue in the country. That’s not altogether surprising, as it’s the M.O. of a lot of her progressive members of the House. They make a lot of noise, say that they’re fixing the problem, only to be called out for what they are – or are not – doing.
It’s not that Tlaib’s thinking behind the bill is wrong; it’s that it’s completely unnecessary, as the NRA said. But, unnecessary bills and over legislation is a hallmark of progressives like Tlaib in the so-called “Squad” in the House.
