Steps Congress should take to keep children safe

Unlike some of my colleagues who are interested in politicizing recent tragedies to score political points or push a national narrative that targets law-abiding citizens, I am focused on tangible solutions that address the root causes of violence, identifying those who are at risk of violence, ensuring appropriate interventions with these young people before they reach a breaking point, and enforcing existing laws. There are areas in which Congress can come together in a bipartisan manner and enact policies that will address the root causes of mass violence rather than only addressing the symptoms.

For the past few years, I have partnered with the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation to improve school safety. As part of this work, I co-authored the STANDUP Act, which was recently signed into law. It incentivizes schools to provide training for students and teachers on how to identify students who are at risk of harming themselves or others. It also provides guidance on how to report concerns anonymously to be followed up on by law enforcement and tools for getting troubled individuals the help and mental health resources they need. I visited a large school district in Tampa Bay that has utilized these best practices and was told they have seen a dramatic reduction in violence.

In many recent incidents of violence around the country, peers and even school officials were aware that the future perpetrator was dangerous, and yet, no mechanism was in place to intervene. That has to change. In Uvalde, Texas, according to those around him, the suspect had an obvious deterioration in behavior over time, which included repeatedly cutting his face with knives “for fun,” shooting people with BB guns, and increased isolation. He was not on track to graduate from high school this year and was often absent from school. My bipartisan co-lead on the bill and I have written a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services this week urging it to expedite implementation of the STANDUP Act, which we believe to be lifesaving legislation.

I am also a co-sponsor of the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, which will further improve school safety. Named after Luke Hoyer and Alex Schachter — two children who lost their lives in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida — the act would codify a federal clearinghouse that assesses and shares best practices for school safety measures and identifies the resources necessary to implement them. This information is then published on schoolsafety.gov so that school districts all over the country can access this vital, lifesaving information. There is no good reason why this legislation remains stalled in Congress.

After the Parkland tragedy, I met with the local professionals entrusted with school safety, including local school superintendents, school board members, and sheriffs. I asked them what they needed from Congress to ensure a safe learning environment for all children. They agreed that the single most important thing they needed was more school resource officers. Subsequently, I filed the PROTECT KIDS Act to provide federal support for more SROs. I also co-sponsored the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence (STOP) Act, which was signed into law to help schools implement security enhancements and improve safety training.

I believe every school needs a properly trained SRO/guardian, which is why I continue to push for increased funding for the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services program. This is another area in which members of Congress on both sides of the aisle should find common ground.

Another piece of this puzzle involves social media platforms. Big Tech companies have an important role to play in promoting public safety. Oftentimes, these platforms have been used to promote threats of violence. In many of these tragedies, the perpetrator revealed clues or bragged about their intentions, as was the case in the Uvalde shooting. Identifying these violent posts and notifying law enforcement of threats can help stop violence while getting a potential offender the mental health services they need. I’ve introduced the CAPTURE Act with the goal of improving coordination between Big Tech and law enforcement to help identify and stop illegal content and activity. Currently, Big Tech companies benefit from federal liability protections, and yet, time and time again, they have proven unwilling to become part of the solution for keeping children safe. This is an area of public policy that should be able to garner bipartisan support, as it is a tangible solution to stop violence.

Unfortunately, there are still barriers in place for many struggling with mental health problems to get the help they need. This has to change. The plain truth is that our mental health system is broken. For example, in Buffalo, New York, reports indicate that the gunman had threatened his high school in Conklin, New York, last June. The New York state police investigated these threats and brought him in for a mental health evaluation. He was released after a day and a half in the hospital. Yet, his troubling behavior persisted. He clearly did not get the help he needed. Like we have seen so many times before, law enforcement was aware of the perpetrator well before the shooting ever occurred. The Energy and Commerce Committee has just advanced the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022. It reauthorizes federal funding for mental health and substance abuse programs while improving access for youths to receive quality mental health treatment. This critical legislation should have full bipartisan support, and its passage should be expedited.

Instead of focusing on these practical solutions that target perpetrators, some of my colleagues and the national news media seem intent on circumventing principles of federalism designed to protect states’ rights, restricting the current rights of law-abiding citizens, and pushing duplicative background checks that would not have stopped any of the recent perpetrators of these horrific crimes.

Current federal law already requires “dealers” of firearms to hold a Federal Firearms License and to run a background check on someone trying to buy a firearm, including one through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Pending legislation would criminalize the private transfer of firearms, penalizing millions of law-abiding citizens for the actions of a few depraved individuals who did not even obtain their weapons through a private sale. However, there have been some legitimate problems regarding background checks.

In response, I supported the FIX NICS Act, which modernized and strengthened the federal firearm background check database to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is available. I am also a co-sponsor of the NICS Denial Notification Act, a commonsense public safety bill that would increase protections for our communities and provide law enforcement officers with the tools needed to prevent weapons from falling into criminal hands. Currently, federal officials are notified when individuals who are legally prohibited from purchasing a firearm (such as convicted felons and fugitives) try to buy a gun but fail an NICS background check. These attempted purchases often violate federal and state laws, and, unfortunately, the federal government rarely prosecutes any of these individuals. Improving coordination between federal and state law enforcement officials in these cases would be a strong step forward in preventing future tragedies.

In 2021, 12 major cities hit all-time high homicide records, and violent crime increased in many urban areas. It is not a coincidence that many of these cities have embraced a liberal, soft-on-crime ideology that has only emboldened criminals. Another important step forward would be passing the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act, H.R. 7967. This bill would require much-needed transparency from radical, woke prosecutors who care more about pushing a political agenda than keeping their communities safe. Specifically, the bill would force public reporting of the instances in which officials fail to prosecute serious crimes, cases in which serious crimes are pleaded down to lesser offenses, and the number of re-offenders committing crimes in our cities.

We will not reduce crime in our country by infringing upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. We need to target criminals by consistently enforcing existing laws, prosecuting those who violate laws, and sending an unwavering message of support for law enforcement.

As I described above, there is important work to be done and ample opportunity for Congress to come together in a bipartisan manner to keep our children and communities safe without infringing on Second Amendment rights. I will continue to work toward these commonsense measures, including improving our nation’s broken mental health system, supporting increased federal funding and improved access to quality behavioral health services, improving training for law enforcement, engaging Big Tech to coordinate more closely with law enforcement, increasing SROs, and hardening our schools. I hope my colleagues will join me!

Rep. Gus Bilirakis is a Republican representing Florida’s 12th Congressional District.