**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** 

Contact: Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov | 771.215.7243 

Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov | 412.841.7913

Rep. Summer Lee Leads 20 Colleagues in Letter to CDC Urging Proper Assessment of Gun Violence

On the last week of Gun Violence Awareness Month, this letter urges the CDC to provide proper guidance on how to include gun violence in future Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) tools. 

PITTSBURGH, PA — Today, Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) led 20 of her colleagues in sending a letter to the Center for Disease Control to provide guidance on how to include gun violence in future Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) screening tools. ACE is a traumatic event or set of events that occurs for a person during childhood (0-17 years)–and is used by medical professionals to understand when children are experiencing toxic stress. 

The full list of cosigners include: Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (DE-AL),  Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC-AL), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01).

You can read the full letter here. 

“As gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children, we must ensure that we not only work to address its root causes, but also address the trauma that children have developed as a result of it” said Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12). “Too many children, in PA-12 and across the country, have been severely affected by gun violence, and I urge the CDC to study the depths of its effects to ensure children can heal, and avoid toxic stress–and the adverse impact it has on children’s mental and physical health as they grow up.”

Organization endorsements include: March for Our Lives,Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords, and Brady: United Against Gun Violence 

Background:

Rep. Lee is a part of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in Congress.

In September 2023, Rep. Lee introduced H.R. 3929 Disarm Hate Act- The bill expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. Specifically, it prohibits firearm sale or transfer to and receipt, possession, shipment, or transport by a person (1) who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) who has received an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence. 

Rep. Lee has also cosponsored critical legislation to prevent more gun violence. These include: 

• Assault Weapons Ban of 2023 (H.R.698). This bill would reinstate the assault weapons ban, making it unlawful to import, sell, manufacture, or transfer semi-automatic assault rifles.  
• H.R. 413 Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice. 
• H.Res. 459 Expressing support for the designation of June 2, 2023, as “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” and June 2023 as “National Gun Violence Awareness Month”. 
• Ethan’s Law (H.R.660).- This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels.  
• Keep Americans Safe Act (H.R.625).- This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).  
• Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2023 (H.R.396).- This bill will make it illegal to manufacture, sell, or process bump stocks for civilian use. Bump stocks are supplemental gun devices that enhance firearm capabilities to duplicate automatic fire. 
• Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023 (H.R.1699).- This bill establishes an Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy. Among its duties, the office must coordinate various gun violence prevention efforts that are administered by the Department of Justice, recommend policy options to promote evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies, and promote related data collection. 
• H.R. 2870 Raise the Age Act- This bill would increase the age to purchase a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years old.  
• H.R. 2403 – Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2023- This bill revises background check requirements applicable to proposed firearm transfers from a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a licensed gun dealer) to an unlicensed person. Specifically, it increases the amount of time, from 3 business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person. 
• H.R. 715 – The Bipartisan Background Checks Act- The bill would require that every sale of a firearm include a background check. The bill includes small, technical exemptions for family transfers and temporary hunting transfers. 
• H.R. 4965 Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act- This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish voluntary best practices for safe firearm storage solely for the purpose of public education. DOJ must give at least 90 days public notice and afford an opportunity for a hearing before establishing such best practices. 
• H.R. 4184, Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act- The bill would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to ensure the gun industry – including manufacturers, sellers, and interest groups – is not shielded from liability when it acts with negligence and disregard for public safety. The bill would allow civil cases to go forward against irresponsible actors in state and federal courts. The bill would also incentivize responsible business practices that would reduce gun injuries and deaths. 

---

Since taking office in January, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.2 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $200 million for infrastructure, over $50 million for affordable transit, and over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 1,600 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.

###