Thompson to Introduce Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Wednesday

 U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena,  chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, will introduce legislation aimed at helping states keep guns away from criminals and people with a history of dangerous mental illness on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Thompson will introduce the legislation at a press conference at 12:40 p.m. PST in Washington, D.C.  He will be joined at the press conference by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and law enforcement officials. 

Thompson led a series of public forums in the North Bay on the issue in January in the wake of the school shootings in

Prior to Thompson's announcement, a panel of law enforcement leaders will also issue a call for stricter gun legislation.

As part of the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, police leaders from across the country will demand that Congress act to end the epidemic of gun violence that kills more than 30 Americans every day.

Law enforcement leaders representing the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives will stand together at a press conference to call on Congress to:

• Require background checks for all firearm purchasers;
• Improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), by ensuring that disqualifying records of all prohibited firearms purchasers are contained in the system;
• Ban new semi-automatic assault weapons; and
• Limit high-capacity ammunition magazines to ten rounds

Some of the speakers will be:             

• Chief Jim Johnson, Baltimore County, MD; Chair of the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence; and Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCC) representative to the Partnership
• Chief Anne Glavin, California State University, Northridge; President of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA)    
• Chief Terry Cunningham, Wellesley, MA; 4th Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)    
• Chief John Dixon of Petersburg, Virginia; and 2nd Vice President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)

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