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AOC Suggests Checking Juvenile Criminal Records To Be Able To Buy A Gun Could Be Racist

   DailyWire.com
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2022.
ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) suggested Monday that looking into juvenile criminal background records as part of a background check before a person can purchase a firearm could be racist.

Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks come after an 18-year-old Hispanic male opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, late last month, killing 19 children.

Her remarks were in response to a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who released a framework of solutions that they were going to try to pass that included an enhanced review process for people under 21-years-old. “For buyers under 21 years of age, requires an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement,” the agreement said.

“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,’” reporter Eric Michael Garcia tweeted. “‘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.’”

“When I asked if she was worried if the mental health aspects would increase stigmatization, she said ‘absolutely. Because what people are blaming on mental health are really deeper issues of violent misogyny and white supremacy,’” Ocasio-Cortez claimed. “‘And while there are mental health issues attenuated like the deep isolation that we see with a lot of these folks, at the end of the day, we’re not addressing—there are some issues like the boyfriend loophole being closed … The connection between domestic violence, and masa shootings, et Cetera.’”

Other measures included in the framework introduced by the Senators included:

  • Support for State Crisis Intervention Orders

Provides resources to states and tribes to create and administer laws that help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals whom a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others, consistent with state and federal due process and constitutional protections.

  • Investment in Children and Family Mental Health Services

National expansion of community behavioral health center model; major investments to increase access to mental health and suicide prevention programs; and other support services available in the community, including crisis and trauma intervention and recovery.

  • Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence

Convicted domestic violence abusers and individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders are included in NICS, including those who have or have had a continuing relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.

  • Funding for School-Based Mental Health and Supportive Services

Invests in programs to expand mental health and supportive services in schools, including: early identification and intervention programs and school based mental health and wrap-around services.

  • Funding for School Safety Resources

Invests in programs to help institute safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools, support school violence prevention efforts and provide training to school personnel and students.

  • Clarification of Definition of Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer

Cracks down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements.

  • Telehealth Investments

Invests in programs that increase access to mental and behavioral health services for youth and families in crisis via telehealth.

  • Penalties for Straw Purchasing

Cracks down on criminals who illegally straw purchase and traffic guns.

“Today, we are announcing a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country,” the senators added in a statement. “Our plan increases needed mental health resources, improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those who are adjudicated as mentally ill can’t purchase weapons.”

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