Congressional Votes

H. J. Res. 44 would formally disapprove of a January 2023 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rule expanding the definition of a “short-barreled rifle” to include those with stabilizing braces, and requiring such firearms to comply with various requirements under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

The Senate rejected H. J. Res. 44 on June 22, 2023 by a vote of 49 to 50 (Roll Call 171). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the ATF’s stabilizing-brace rule violates the Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms. Furthermore, there is no constitutional basis for the ATF’s or NFA’s existence.

H.R. 1808 would make it illegal to own, sell, or knowingly possess a semiautomatic “assault” weapon or “large capacity” ammunition feeding devices. It would also allow law-enforcement grants to be used for state and tribal buy-back programs for guns banned by this bill.

The House passed H.R. 1808 on July 29, 2022 by a vote of 217 to 213 (Roll Call 410). We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill is a gross violation of the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment, which recognizes that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This is one step closer to a disarmed America — with the assistance of taxpayer dollars.

S. 2938, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” would provide more than $4.6 billion in funding through 2026 to address gun violence and mental health. $2.1 billion would be allocated to the Department of Education to support school-based mental-health services, and $990 million would be earmarked for Health and Human Services. $1.6 billion would be allocated to support school security and community violence intervention, and to improve background-check systems. This bill would also implement extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as red flag laws, and expand background checks for firearm purchases.

The House passed S. 2938 on June 24, 2022 by a vote of 234 to 193 (Roll Call 299). We have assigned pluses to the nays because increased spending and red flag laws are a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms, and this is one step closer to a disarmed America. Also, Congress is failing to address its fiscally irresponsible spending habits, which are far outside of Congress’ constitutional limits.

S. 2938, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” would provide more than $4.6 billion in funding through 2026 to address gun violence and mental health. $2.1 billion would be allocated to the Department of Education to support school-based mental-health services, and $990 million would be earmarked for Health and Human Services. $1.6 billion would be allocated to support school security and community violence intervention, and to improve background-check systems. This bill would also implement extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as red flag laws, and expand background checks for firearm purchases.

The Senate passed S. 2938 on June 23, 2022 by a vote of 65 to 33 (Roll Call 242). We have assigned pluses to the nays because increased spending and red flag laws are a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms, and this is one step closer to a disarmed America. Also, Congress is failing to address its fiscally irresponsible spending habits, which are far outside of Congress’ constitutional limits.

H.R. 8 would criminalize most private firearms transactions unless they include an FBI background check. Specifically, this bill would require anyone desiring to transfer a firearm to bring the firearm to a licensed dealer, who would then take possession of the firearm and complete a background check on the intended recipient of the transfer. The firearm would be returned to the original owner if the transfer is rejected. Although the bill includes some exceptions to this universal requirement for a background check, it still represents a major infringement on our God-given right to keep and bear arms.

The House passed H.R. 8 on March 11, 2021 by a vote of 227 to 203 (Roll Call 75). We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill would be one more steppingstone toward the Deep State’s unconstitutional goal of total civilian disarmament.

The STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909) would authorize $75 million a year through fiscal year 2028 for the Justice Department’s Secure Our Schools grant program. SOS is a grant program of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which has been instrumental in laying the foundations for nationalizing local police by providing federal “assistance” in the form of funds, equipment, training, and development of guidelines to local law-enforcement agencies.

In a podcast interview with Conservative Review, Representative Thomas Massie (RKy.) said the “STOP School Violence Act was bad enough for nationalizing defense of our schools,” but he further revealed, “There is money in that bill that is going to go to gun control groups. It literally says in there you can give it to the 501-C3s, and then it also says in there it can’t go to train anybody on gun safety. It’s got to go for all the liberal sort of agendas.”

The House passed H.R. 4909 on March 14, 2018 by a vote of 407 to 10 (Roll Call 106). We have assigned pluses to the nays because school safety is not a proper function of the federal government, and no action the federal government has ever taken would actually make schools safe. School safety should be addressed at the local level. Furthermore, the nationalizing of local police and school security, as well as any other gun-control measures contained in the bill, are all strictly unconstitutional.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 1181) would prohibit a Veterans Affairs Department determination that an individual is mentally incompetent from being used as a basis for that individual's inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which would thereby prevent the individual from purchasing a gun. Under the measure, an individual could not be considered to be mentally defective without a judicial authority's finding that the individual poses a danger to himself or herself or others.

The House passed H.R. 1181 on March 16, 2017 by a vote of 240 to 175 (Roll Call 169). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Veterans Affairs Department determination referenced above is a clear violation of the Second Amendment, which states that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This legislation (House Joint Resolution 40) would disapprove of and nullify a Social Security Administration rule that outlines reporting of information by the agency on certain non-elderly individuals who receive disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for gun purchases if they receive benefits based on a finding of mental impairment and use a "representative payee" because they cannot manage their benefit payments.

The Senate passed H. J. Res. 40 on February 15, 2017 by a vote of 57 to 43 (Roll Call 66). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Social Security Administration rule violates the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by infringing on the right of people to keep and bear arms.

The Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 5013) would prohibit the confiscation of firearms in the wake of a natural disaster. This bill is a response to the illegal confiscating of firearms from the victims of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

H.R. 5013 was passed by the House on July 25, 2006 by a vote of 322-99 (Roll Call 401). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because confiscating firearms from law-abiding citizens is a clear violation of the Constitution -- the Second Amendment guarantees that our "right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

During consideration for the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5441) Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) offered an amendment that would prohibit any funds in the bill from being used to seize lawfully owned firearms during a state of emergency. Vitter said this amendment was prompted by the confiscation of over 1,000 firearms by law enforcement officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the Vitter amendment by a vote of 84-16 on July 13, 2006 (Roll Call 202). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because gun confiscation violates the Second Amendment.

This amendment to S. 1805 (Firearms Manufacturers Protection) would provide for a 10-year reauthorization of the so-called assault weapons ban. If Congress doesn't vote to reauthorize the ban, it will expire in September 2004.

The Senate adopted this amendment to S. 1805 on March 2, 2004 by a vote of 52 to 47 (Roll Call 24). We have assigned pluses to the nays because this so-called assault weapons ban is an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment. Senate Republicans had introduced S. 1805 to help protect firearms manufacturers from industry-threatening lawsuits. However, they withdrew their support after gun control advocates won adoption of two "poison pill" amendments -- this amendment and a requirement for criminal background checks for all firearms purchases at gun shows-- and S. 1805 was rejected.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered an amendment to make available $15 million from the Housing Drug Elimination Program section of the VA-HUD appropriations bill "for the BuyBack America program, enabling gun buyback initiatives undertaken by public housing authorities and their local police departments."

The Senate voted 65 to 33 on August 2, 2001 to table (kill) the Schumer amendment (Roll Call 267). We have assigned pluses to the yeas.

This legislation would clamp down on gun sales at gun shows, which for the purposes of this bill are defined as any event "at which 50 or more firearms are offered or exhibited for sale, transfer, or exchange" or at which there are ten or more vendors. Under this bill, a person offering a firearm for sale who is not himself licensed is prevented from selling that firearm directly to the buyer. The licensed vendor must complete a background check before the transfer of the weapon. The House rejected the measure on June 18, 1999 by a vote of 147 to 280 (Congressional Record, pages H4656-57, roll call 244; we have assigned pluses to the nays).

This amendment would assault the Second Amendment in a number of ways, such as by having the Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary "encourage law-abiding citizens to report the possession of illegal firearms to authorities," and mandating that the Attorney General study the feasibility of developing "a single fingerprint convicted offender database" to be maintained by the FBI and develop "a procedure for the collection of data identifying persons that are prohibited from possessing a firearm." The amendment would also require background checks at gun shows in which ten or more exhibitors are present or at least 20 percent of the exhibitors are selling guns. The Senate adopted the amendment on May 14, 1999 by a vote of 48 to 47 (Congressional Record, page S5326, roll call 118; we have assigned plusses to the "nays" and minuses to the yeas.").