Alaska’s senior U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski held a press conference on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is targeted legislation before the U.S. Senate that addresses specific problems that have led to mass shootings, including the need for additional mental health and school safety resources. She spoke on what is in the legislation, how it impacts Alaskans, and addresses misinformation about the bill.
In a press conference, Sen. Murkowski said:
“What we’re really trying to do is to ensure that our schools are safe, our kids are protected without placing new restrictions on law abiding gun owners. At the same time that we’re trying to keep our schools safe, I don’t think any of us, as parents, think that the outcome needs to be that our schools become fortresses. I certainly am not one who thinks that the answer is to provide firearms to teachers and put that extraordinary weight and burden on them. What we can do to provide greater safeguards is what we are attempting here.”
The legislation, according to Sen. Murkowski’s office, does not create a national red flag law, or require or incentivize states to enact red flag laws, or penalize states that do not have these laws; it does not infringe on the second amendment rights of law abiding citizens; and it does not create universal background checks, mental health checks or mandatory or de-facto waiting periods.
Thursday night, Sen. Murkowski voted in favor of the act. The bill passed the Senate 65-33.
Click here and here for more information on the legislation.