From: Representative Lou Barletta
Received At: March 10, 2018 at 07:08AM
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News
from
Representative
Lou
Barletta
March 10, 2018
Protecting
Our
Nation’s
Children
As
a
father
of
four
daughters,
two
of
whom
are
teachers,
and
eight
grandchildren,
I
am
heartbroken
over
the
loss
of
so
many
innocent
lives,
and
I
grieve
with
the
families
of
the
victims
of
the
senseless
tragedy
at
Marjory
Stoneman
Douglas
in
Parkland,
Florida.
The
conversations
taking
place
across
the
country
right
now
are
a
testament
to
how
deeply
the
grief
of
this
tragedy
has
touched
every
American.
As
we
work
towards
preventing
tragedies
like
the
Parkland
shooting,
we
must
first
make
sure
no
one
wishing
to
do
our
children
harm
is
able
to
enter
their
schools.
Congress
must
act
to
ensure
no
child
goes
to
school
in
fear,
and
no
parent
sends
their
child
to
school
fearing
they
may
never
see
them
again.
That’s
why
I
have
called
for
schools
to
be
classified
as
‘critical
infrastructure.’
There
are
currently
16
categories
of
critical
infrastructure,
such
as
the
energy
sector
and
financial
services
sector,
whose
assets,
systems,
and
networks
are
considered
so
vital
to
the
United
States
that
their
incapacitation
or
destruction
would
devastate
our
national
security,
economic
well-being,
and
public
health
or
safety.
The
federal
government
works
with
state
and
local
partners,
as
well
as
private
entities,
to
ensure
the
security
and
resilience
of
these
sectors.
It
is
past
time
that
schools
become
the
17th
category.
If
the
federal
government
treats
banks
as
‘critical,’
if
they
can
defend
the
Department
of
Education
with
armed
security
guards,
then
why
can’t
we
deem
America’s
children
as
critical,
also?
That’s
why
on
March
6,
2018,
during
a
hearing
in
the
House
Committee
on
Transportation
and
Infrastructure,
I
discussed
this
proposal
with
Secretary
of
Transportation
Elaine
Chao,
who
pledged
to
bring
it
before
the
White
House
for
consideration.
Additionally,
I
have
joined
several
of
my
colleagues
both
Republicans
and
Democrats
in
calling
for
increased
funding
for
the
Secure
Our
Schools
grant
program.
This
funding
can
be
used
for
physical
security
measures,
such
as
metal
detectors,
locks,
and
lighting;
for
security
training
of
personnel
and
students;
and
for
coordinating
with
local
law
enforcement.
These
competitively
awarded
match
grants
will
help
ensure
that
our
schools
have
the
resources
they
need
to
keep
students
safe.
As
we
further
our
national
dialogue
on
how
to
prevent
tragedies
like
what
occurred
in
Parkland,
it
is
important
to
remember
that
the
Constitution
declares
that
gun
ownership
is
not
a
privilege
reserved
for
a
select
few,
but
a
protected
and
fundamental
freedom
guaranteed
for
all
law-abiding
citizens.
While
I
understand
there
will
be
many
differing
perspectives
on
what
the
best
path
forward
is
to
ensure
the
safety
of
our
nation’s
children,
we
must
not
forget
this
underlying
American
right.
The
Stoneman
Douglas
shooter
was
able
to
obtain
a
firearm
because
he
was
not
in
the
background
check
database
to
begin
with.
From
what
we
currently
know,
many
mistakes
were
made
where
federal
and
local
law
enforcement
failed
to
follow
through
on
clear
threats
made
by
the
individual.
It
is
clear
that
the
shooter
in
this
situation
slipped
through
the
cracks,
despite
the
best
efforts
of
concerned,
vigilant
citizens.
Over
the
last
ten
years,
the
local
sheriff’s
office
received
as
many
as
three
dozen
calls
related
to
the
shooter
or
his
brother,
and
the
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation
(FBI)
failed
to
act
on
two
separate
tips
from
a
concerned
YouTube
user
and
an
unidentified
woman
close
to
the
shooter.
Had
local
law
enforcement
and
the
FBI
done
their
jobs,
there
is
a
good
chance
the
shooter
in
question
would
never
have
been
able
to
purchase
a
gun
in
the
first
place
due
to
the
National
Instant
Criminal
Background
Check
System
(NICS).
Launched
in
1998,
NICS
was
designed
to
ensure
that
a
prospective
buyer
is
eligible
to
purchase
a
firearm
at
the
point
of
sale.
Under
current
law,
there
are
nine
categories
of
individuals
who
are
prohibited
from
purchasing
and
possessing
a
firearm,
including
people
convicted
of
a
crime
punishable
by
more
than
one
year
in
prison,
unlawful
drug
users,
and
those
who
have
been
adjudicated
as
mentally
defective
or
have
been
committed
to
a
mental
institution.
NICS
houses
all
that
information,
so
when
someone
attempts
to
purchase
a
firearm,
dealers
can
instantly
determine
whether
or
not
they
are
legally
able
to
do
so.
I
believe
that
NICS
is
one
of
the
most
important
tools
we
have
in
preventing
gun
violence,
which
is
why
I
have
consistently
voted
to
protect
and
strengthen
this
system.
Most
recently,
in
December
2017,
I
voted
for,
and
the
House
passed,
H.R.
38,
which
contained
provisions
to
increase
the
accuracy
of
background
checks
and
penalize
agencies
that
fail
to
follow
NICS
protocol
and
report
required
information.
Additionally,
during
the
113th
Congress,
I
voted
to
provide
an
additional
$19.5
million
in
funding
to
NICS.
With
that
being
said,
there
are
certainly
issues
with
the
current
system
namely
barriers
for
states
to
share
records
and
privacy
concerns
from
healthcare
professionals.
I
plan
on
working
with
my
colleagues
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle
to
find
solutions
to
make
sure
that
when
someone
becomes
ineligible
for
gun
ownership,
that
information
makes
it
into
the
NICS
database.
As
mentioned,
when
adjudicated
as
a
mental
defective
or
committed
to
a
mental
institution,
individuals
are
no
longer
legally
permitted
to
own
a
gun.
I
think
it
is
equally
as
important,
if
not
more,
that
we
intervene
and
address
mental
health
issues
early
on,
so
they
never
reach
that
point.
That’s
why,
last
Congress,
I
was
a
cosponsor
of
the
Helping
Families
in
Mental
Health
Crisis
Act
of
2016
(H.R.
2646),
which
would
have
increased
access
to
acute
inpatient
medical
care
for
the
severely
mentally
ill,
reformed
outdated
mental
health
programs,
empowered
families
and
caregivers,
advanced
early
intervention
and
prevention
programs,
and
focused
on
evidence-based
programs
and
treatments
that
work.
Additionally,
on
November
30,
2016,
I
voted
for,
and
the
House
passed,
H.R.
34,
the
21st
Century
Cures
Act.
This
legislation,
which
was
signed
into
law,
provides
grants
to
train
teachers
on
how
they
can
intervene
with
a
student
before
they
suffer
a
crisis,
improves
the
National
Violent
Death
Reporting
System
at
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
so
that
it
not
only
tracks
violent
deaths,
but
also
researches
ways
in
which
they
can
be
prevented.
Importantly,
it
also
reauthorizes
programs
that
focus
on
helping
treat
children
with
severe
emotional
disturbances
early
on.
I
remain
committed
to
putting
forth
real
solutions
that
will
actually
garner
the
bipartisan
support
needed
to
become
law
so
that
we
can
protect
our
children
and
our
rights.
How
I
Can
Help
You
Federal
agencies
Federal
grants
Military
and
veterans
issues
Service
academy
nominations
Tours
and
tickets
in
Washington,
D.C.
Internships
How
You
Can
Help
Me
I
remain
convinced
that
some
of
the
best
solutions
to
America’s
problems
come
from
outside
of
Washington,
D.C.
I
encourage
you
to
voice
any
questions,
concerns,
or
suggestions
you
may
have
by
contacting
one
of
my
offices.
FOLLOW
ME
AT:
Washington,
D.C.
2049
Rayburn
Washington,
D.C.
20515
Phone:
(202)
225-6511
Fax:
(202)
226-6250
Toll-free:
(855)
241-5144
Luzerne
County
1
South
Church
Street
Suite
100
Hazleton,
PA
18201
Phone:
(570)
751-0050
Fax:
(570)
751-0054
Cumberland
County
126
North
Hanover
Street
Carlisle,
PA
17013
Phone:
(717)
249-0190
Fax:
(717)
218-0190
Dauphin
County
4813
Jonestown
Road,
#101
Harrisburg,
PA
17109
Phone:
(717)
525-7002
Fax:
(717)
695-6794
Northumberland
County
106
Arch
Street
Sunbury,
PA
17801
Phone:
(570)
988-7801
Fax:
(570)
988-7805
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