DC Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Mayor Bowser For Signing Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

Red Flag Law Will Help Prevent Firearm Suicides and Mass Shootings

WASHINGTON – The D.C. chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement praising Mayor Bowser for signing gun violence prevention legislation. The legislation will create a Red Flag law and prohibit bump stocks in D.C. The legislative package next heads to Congress for approval. If Congress does not issue a Joint Resolution of Disapproval within 30 days, the package will become law.

“Today we celebrate a victory for common-sense gun safety,” said Rachel Usdan, volunteer leader with the DC chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “These laws will help save lives in the District. We thank the D.C. Council for passing this legislation and the Mayor for signing it.”

A Red Flag law would empower families and law enforcement to seek an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), a court order that would temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms when they pose a risk of using them to harm themselves or others. Family members and law enforcement are often the first people to recognize warning signs that indicate someone might be a danger to themselves or others. The bump stock prohibition will stop an end-run around current federal law by prohibiting bump stocks, dangerous devices that effectively convert semi-automatic firearms into machine guns.