The House of Representatives passed the Active Shooter Alert Act on Wednesday, sending legislation to the Senate that would create an Amber Alert-style communication network to send mobile alerts to people close to active shooter situations.
The proposal previously passed with bipartisan support — but not enough to clear an expedited vote requiring a two-thirds majority last month. That was due to a batch of House Democratic lawmakers voting against it. The legislation was spurred by a spate of mass shootings over the past six weeks, the most recent being at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
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“Active shooter events have become ubiquitous — so frequent that some of these horrific events barely make headlines. This is not normal, and we cannot let it be normalized. We cannot become numb to these events, and we cannot settle for the status quo,” sponsor Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) said when the bill left committee last month. “We have to give law enforcement every tool they need to neutralize these threats and keep our communities safe.”
Nearly all the nay votes were Republicans who argued that it would be ineffective and possibly induce panic in people who are not in immediate danger. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said frequently receiving shooter alerts would cause people to be afraid of the Second Amendment.
“They hope that if they program you and bombard you long enough that you’ll hate your own Second Amendment rights or that you may tattle on your neighbor, who is lawfully and rightfully exercising theirs,” Gaetz said during floor debate Wednesday. “The American people should not fall for this.”
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The bill would authorize the Department of Justice to create an office to oversee the Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, which would work with state and local jurisdictions to formulate active shooter responses.
President Joe Biden signed into law last month a measure strengthening incentives for states to pass red flag laws, the first major gun legislation in 30 years. Congressional Republicans have advocated tighter security at schools in response to the shootings.
