EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — A coalition of lawmakers, led by El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, reintroduced the Disarm Hate Act on Friday, aiming to prevent individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms.

The proposed legislation seeks to close a loophole in federal law by prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor-level hate crimes from accessing guns.

“Six years ago, a white supremacist drove 10 hours to El Paso intent on slaughtering Mexicans and immigrants in what remains the deadliest attack against Latinos in modern American history,” Escobar said. “The hate directed at Hispanic and immigrant communities continues to this day. When bigotry is combined with easy access to assault weapons, the result is a devastating and lethal threat, and too many communities across the nation, including my own, have lived with these consequences firsthand.”

Escobar joined Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL-10), James Clyburn (SC-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), John Garamendi (CA-08), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Summer Lee (PA-12), David Min (CA-47), and Nikema Williams (GA-06 in reintroducing the bill, which was initially introduced in January.

Sen. Luján emphasized the urgency of the bill, stating, “Despite the concerning number of hate crimes that have plagued our country, it is horrifying that this loophole allows dangerous individuals to buy or possess a firearm.”

The Disarm Hate Act is part of a broader effort to address gun violence and protect communities from hate-motivated attacks.

The act is also supported by several advocacy groups, including GIFFORDS, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and Everytown for Gun Safety.

It comes in response to a series of hate-fueled mass shootings across the United States, including the 2015 Charleston church shooting, the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack, and the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting.

Rep. Clyburn highlighted the lethal combination of hatred and firearms, urging the Republican majority to bring the bill to a vote. “Lives are at stake,” he said.

“As we tragically witnessed in Charleston, South Carolina at Emanuel AME Church in 2015, and far too often elsewhere, hatred and guns are a lethal mix,” Clyburn said. “We must do more to keep deadly firearms out of the hands of those seeking to use them to commit these heinous crimes. To that end, earlier this year I reintroduced my legislation to close the Charleston Loophole, and today I am pleased to join Rep. Escobar in reintroducing the Disarm Hate Act. I urge the Republican majority to bring these common-sense bills to the House floor for a vote. Lives are at stake.”

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