State Legislators from across the U.S. announced the creation of a nonpartisan coalition focused on gun violence prevention Monday.
The group, dubbed American State Legislators For Gun Violence Prevention (ASLGVP), said that they feel the need to take action seeing as, “Congress [has] failed in its responsibility to do something about this issue [of gun violence].”
“We are a coalition that is united by a common desire to find strategies that will work in our states, and that we believe will move the conversation forward and reduce gun violence across America,” said founding Assemblyman, and now chair, Brian Kavanagh (D-NY).
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The group claims to currently have nearly 200 members from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, but will not yet publish the list of members, fearing political backlash.
ASLGVP plans to address a range of issues, including: domestic violence and the presence to guns, how to effectively intervene in communities impacted by gun violence, mandatory background checks when purchasing a firearm in any arena and, overall, the way laws in one state may effect the trafficking of guns across state lines into another.
“In 2012, Virginia was rated number 2 in the nation in terms of guns found at crime scenes in different states. There were 250,047 Virginia guns found in those out of state crime scenes,” said Assemblyman[sic] Adam Ebbin (D-VA). “In Virginia we are proud of being a exporter of micro chips and for building naval ships, but we should be embarrassed by the number of deadly weapons we supply to criminals.”
In 36 states buyers do not currently need to undergo a background check when purchasing firearms from a gun show, and in 4 states there are required background checks only for the purchase of handguns.
“This is not about impeding people’s second amendment rights; it is about stopping criminals and saving lives,” said Ebbin.
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The ASLGVP will hold their first official meeting on Tuesday in Washington, DC.
