Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said Monday that checking juvenile criminal histories before buying a gun could be racist.
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments came after a Hispanic 18-year-old killed 19 children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas last month.
Statements
Her comments were in response to a bipartisan group of senators who issued a roadmap of alternatives, including an improved vetting procedure for persons under 21.
“For buyers under 21, it requires an investigation time to investigate youth and mental health records,” the agreement read.
.@AOC tells me she is worried about the criminalization in the gun framework: “particularly, the juvenile criminalization, the expansion of background checks into juvenile records, I want to explore the implications of that and how specifically i’s designed and tailored.” 1/
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) June 13, 2022
AOC told reporter Eric Michael Garcia she’s afraid about criminalizing guns, especially for juveniles, and expanding background checks. She wants to know the ramifications and how it’s tailored.
According to her, after Columbine, they recruited many police officers into schools. While it didn’t stop many major shootings, it exacerbated the criminalization of youths in her community.
“After columbine, we hired thousands of police officers into schools and while it didn’t prevent many of the mass shootings that we’ve seen now, it has increased the criminalization of teens in communities like mine.” 2/2
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) June 13, 2022
When asked if she was afraid of stigmatization, she responded yes. Ocasio-Cortez said people blame mental health for violent misogyny and white supremacy.
While mental health issues like severe isolation are reduced, we’re not addressing topics like closing the boyfriend loophole, domestic violence, mass shootings, etc.
Measures in the Framework
‘Support of state crisis response orders,’ along with federal and state fair trials and constitutional rights, provides funding to states and communities.
This funding goes to the creation and administration of legislation that keeps lethal firearms out of the hands of people determined by a court to pose a severe risk to themselves or others.
‘Funding for Child and Family Mental Health Care’ helps develop the local mental health center system nationally.
It makes substantial investments to enhance access to mental illness and suicide prevention initiatives, along with other community support services, notably crises, trauma response, and healing.
The proposal also includes convicted domestic violence abusers and persons subject to domestic violence restraining orders, including those with ongoing romantic or intimate relationships.
‘Funding for Mental Health and Support Services in Schools’: The proposal invests in programs like early diagnosis and intervention programs, school-based mental health services, and wraparound services to improve mental health and support services in schools.
‘Funding for School Security Supplies’: The proposal invests in initiatives to help implement safety measures in and around elementary and secondary schools, supports efforts to reduce school violence, and trains school officials and students.
Criminals who illegally circumvent license requirements are punished severely.
The plan would put money into telehealth programs that make it easier for kids and families to get behavioral and mental health treatments in a crisis.
The proposal stipulates penalties for buying straws, a crackdown on crooks who unlawfully purchase and traffic firearms through straw buyers.
“Today, we are going to announce a commonsense, bipartisan proposed bill to protect America’s kids, keep our schools secure, and reduce the threat of terror across the country,” the senators said.
