House Approves ICE-notification Language to Gun Control Bill

By Heather Ham-Warren | February 28, 2019

Shortly after taking control of the House of Representatives, Democrats announced plans to move quickly on gun-control measures. The day before the one-year anniversary of the tragic high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R.8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act on a party line vote.

In committee, freshman Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) offered an amendment that would require pertinent law enforcement agencies to be notified if any individual failed a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check when attempting to purchase a firearm. Those agencies would include state and local law enforcement, the nearest FBI field office, and “in the case of an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”

The suggestion failed on party lines with every single Democrat voting to kill the amendment. “Clearly, the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee don’t care about preventing gun violence…” Steube told Florida Daily. “The fact that Democrats do not want law enforcement notified if an individual attempting to purchase a firearm fails a background check is truly troubling.”

“In rejecting this amendment, the Democrats have shown their true colors,” he continued. “It is clear they are not interested in preventing gun violence or stopping the illegal purchase of firearms, but rather they are only interested in limiting the rights of law abiding citizens to advance their own political agenda.”

On Monday evening, Representative Ben Cline (R-Va.) tried to offer a similar amendment requiring ICE notification if an illegal alien is denied a firearm purchase or transfer. However, the Democrat-controlled House Rules Committee denied the amendment’s inclusion on the floor.

However, on Wednesday afternoon, prior to voting for H.R. 8 on the House floor, Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.) offered the ICE amendment one final time in the form of a Motion to Recommit. Interestingly, twenty-six Democrats broke rank with their party leadership and voted in favor of the Republican amendment.

It is unlikely that the Senate will bring the measure to the floor for a vote.

See how your Representative voted on the Collins amendment here.