Today, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) spoke on the House Floor during debate on H.R. 8, the so-called Bipartisan Background Checks Act.

Watch the Congressman’s remarks here, or read a transcription below:

“Madam Speaker,

“I rise today as a Texan and constitutional conservative in strong opposition not only to the amendments, but to H.R. 8, a bill that would impose so-called “universal” background checks and gut the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding gun owners throughout this country.

“We all mourn the loss of innocent lives from gun violence that has happened in my district and those around the country. No family should ever have to endure such tragic and unnecessary loss.

“But the truth is that this legislation does nothing to address the root causes of gun violence and may do little to actually prevent criminals from obtaining guns as has previously been said during this debate. 

“What will be prevented though?

“Your ability to loan your neighbor a firearm if there are reports of break-ins, the ability of your suicidal friend or family member to ask you to remove their firearms from their home, or if a colleague comes to you and says that they are trapped in an abusive relationship and scared for their life, you could face a $100,000 [fine] or prison time for lending out your gun for self-defense.

“If we are going to affect real change, we don’t need to tack additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens, we need to look at the root causes and have a transparent and open debate here to talk about mental health and the proper enforcement of the laws we already have.

“This is yet another example of federal overreach, another example of the erosion of our rights, and a slippery slope that will strip all Americans of our Second Amendment Rights as outlined in the Constitution.

“I urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment and the bill.

“And with that, I yield back