Instead of working with House Republicans to address America’s mental health crisis, harden our schools, expand information sharing, and increase enforcement of laws already on the books, House Democrats are pushing H.R. 6538, or the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022. This bill is a redundant federal alert system that does nothing but expand Washington bureaucracy, waste taxpayer dollars, and vilify firearms.
DEMOCRATS’ WASTEFUL H.R. 6538: (Courtesy of House Judiciary Committee Republicans )
Democrats want to create a federal alert “reminding us that the threat of gun violence exists all around us.” Imminent public emergencies that may threaten life or property require rapid, effective, accurate public communication, regardless of whether a gun is used to commit acts of violence. This bill uses federal coordination, coupled with broad definitions of “active shooter” and “populated area,” to encourage state and local governments to issue emergency alerts to stoke public fear of guns.
States already use a federal system to issue emergency alert notifications, including for active shooter emergencies. The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is a federal system that allows public safety agencies to send wireless emergency alerts to mobile devices and emergency alerts to media platforms and internet service providers. According to a 2020 Government Accountability Office report, every state has a state-wide alerting authority and there are more than 1,400 alerting authorities across the country.
Expanding bureaucracy, wasting taxpayer dollars, and vilifying firearms will do little to address the rise in violent crime. Violent crime is up in every major urban area across the country. Instead of providing real solutions to this spike in crime, Democrats have brought multiple anti-gun bills forward, which will do nothing to make our communities safer. This bill is no exception. DOJ can already issue best practices and guidance related to public safety alerts. There is no suggestion that states and localities currently have difficulty in managing emergency alerts or would benefit from a federal coordinator.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: House Republicans have put forward REAL solutions to help prevent tragedy. Democrats are focused on pushing their radical and wasteful agenda instead.
