GIFFORDS condemns House Judiciary Committee passage of bill to arm domestic abusers

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement following House Judiciary Committee passage of H.R. 2189, the “Orwellian” Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act. The bill removes so-called “less-than-lethal projectile devices” that use explosive propellant from the federal definition of a firearm, stripping them of background checks, serialization and all other longstanding safety regulations. By doing so, it would make these high-powered devices widely available to the public, including people with felony or domestic violence convictions, and it contains no restrictions on modifying them into fully lethal weapons. The bill would also create a roadmap for the gun industry to design new weapons that evade federal law entirely, effectively opening a legal market for untraceable ghost gun–style devices.

“Today’s vote in the House Judiciary Committee is dangerous – as written, this bill would open the door to unregulated, untraceable weapons and make this country less safe. Here’s the bottom line: this legislation creates new loopholes that let prohibited individuals access dangerous devices with no oversight at all,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “Congress should be strengthening public safety—not fast-tracking policies that upend ATF enforcement and invite a brand-new ghost-gun market. GIFFORDS will continue to fight these reckless proposals before they cause even more harm.”