Press Releases

WASHINGTON—Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) released the following statement on H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Bill of 2019. Rep. Estes voted against H.R. 8 today in the U.S. House, which will consider H.R. 1112 tomorrow.

“H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 are a combined effort to infringe on law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights and will do nothing to address the root causes of gun violence like theft of firearms, straw purchases or the underground market," said Rep. Estes. "These bills would expand the required days to wait for a background check and require every transfer of a firearm go through a government agency, including lending a gun to a friend to shoot trap or to a domestic abuse victim to protect themselves. Instead of protecting victims, this legislation would turn innocent citizens into felons and lead to pointless delays and government overreach for law-abiding citizens seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights."

"While I oppose these bills, I'm proud to cosponsor the Mass Violence Protection Act of 2019 to ensure local, state and federal agencies work together to keep guns away from criminals and prosecute criminal violations of the law," continued Rep. Estes. "I will continue to fight for the Second Amendment rights of all Kansans to defend themselves, their families and their homes.”

Ron Estes is a 5th generation Kansan and represents Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means.