The House approved legislation that would allow an amber alert-style notification to be sent to people near active shooter situations.
The Active Shooter Alert Act was approved by a 260-169 vote – with 43 Republicans supporting the measure – on Wednesday night. The legislation now goes to the Senate.
Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., was the only Democrat who voted with 168 Republicans in opposing the bill.
Republicans argue that Democrats are pushing an ‘active shooter alert bill as “fear porn”. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., posted on Truth Social. “The American people deserve a government that will actually stand up for the virtue of safe, responsible gun ownership, but all you get from Democrats in Congress today is anti-2A fear porn.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz argues that active shooter alerts could do more harm than good by causing people far from the incident to panic:
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 13, 2022
"If you live in or near Democrat-run cities, it sounds like your phone will likely be buzzing off the hook." pic.twitter.com/inHHTjiH9S
Not all Republicans are against the bill, however, as bipartisan sponsor Fred Upton, R-Mich., argued “This bill is about keeping our communities safe and supporting law enforcement… By alerting the public to an ongoing active shooter threat, we can help folks avoid the area and better enable police and first responders to focus on ending the situation and saving lives. I have heard from our law enforcement and police chiefs that active shooter alerts can be a vital tool to provide accurate, real-time information to our communities, and one they believe will help in these dangerous situations.”
H.R. 6538 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.
