U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania will unveil new gun-control legislation in the wake of the nation’s deadliest mass shooting, which targeted LGBT people.
Casey held a press conference Monday morning in Pittsburgh to discuss a new measure that would prohibit people convicted of misdemeanor hate-crime charges from purchasing firearms.
“If you have proven you will commit criminal acts based on hate, you absolutely should not have access to a gun. It’s common sense,” Casey said in a statement. “It is time we as members of Congress do something. If you are a member of Congress and you say you care about security, then you have to take steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands and ensure our law enforcement has the resources needed to keep communities safe.”
The bill would define “misdemeanor hate crime ” as any federal or state misdemeanor “that is motivated in part by hate or bias related to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.” Pennsylvania’s hate-crime law does not include protections based on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim.
According to Casey’s office, more than 43,000 hate crimes between 2010-14 included the use of a gun.
Casey meet with LGBT leaders in Pittsburgh Monday before announcing the bill. The development comes one day after 49 people were killed and dozens more injured at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.