This is the only Democrat who voted against the active shooter alert bill
Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind was the only Democrat to vote against a bill on Wednesday that seeks to establish an active shooter communications network.
The bill, dubbed the Active Shooter Alert Act, cleared the House in a 260-169 vote, with Kind being the only Democrat to join with Republicans in objecting to the measure.
Forty-three Republicans bucked GOP leadership’s recommendation and voted for the measure. Two Democrats did not vote.
The Hill reached out to Kind for a statement on why he voted against the bill.
Kind was also one of two Democrats, along with Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), who voted against a bill to close a loophole in firearm background checks last year.
In a 2019 tweet marking the one-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, Kind advocated for “commonsense gun safety measures.”
“Taking action on gun violence and being respectful about Second Amendment rights are not mutually exclusive,” he wrote. “Only by working together on this can we prevent these mass shootings from happening.”
The legislation passed Wednesday calls for the creation of an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, which would notify individuals when an active shooter is in their neighborhood. It has been likened to the Amber Alert system.
The House initially voted on the bill last month under suspension — the fast-track process that allows measures to pass quickly if they have two-thirds support in the chamber. The active shooter bill did not, however, reach that threshold, failing to pass in a 259-162 tally.
Kind was also the only Democrat to vote against the bill in that instance, joining 161 Republicans in opposition. Forty-four Republicans supported the measure in that vote.
After the bill failed to pass, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) vowed to bring it up again. On Wednesday, however, the legislation passed after going through the House Rules Committee. A simple majority vote was needed for passage.
The bill requires that an official at the Department of Justice, selected by the attorney general, serve as national coordinator of the communications network. The official would be tasked with urging federal, state, tribal and local government agencies to implement a plan for responding to active shooter situations and preparing a report on the program’s effectiveness in areas where it is put into effect.
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