Out of Washington, Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) released a statement about the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Bill of 2019 Bill. On Thursday, Rep. Estes voted against the Background Checks Act in the U.S. House which is considering the Enhanced Background Checks Bill today. Rep. Estes said both pieces of legislation “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.

Rep. Estes said both 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 Rep. Estes opposes the two bills, he said he's 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. Estes said, "I will continue to fight for the Second Amendment rights of all Kansans to defend themselves, their families and their homes.”