Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Reintroduces The COOL OFF Act To Combat Gun Violence By Implementing A National Three-Day Waiting Period
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi reintroduced the Choosing Our Own Lives Over Fast Firearms (COOL OFF) Act with the support of 14 original cosponsors. The bill, which would institute a national waiting period of three business days for all handgun sales, was inspired by a 2017 Harvard Business School study that found mandatory waiting periods for handgun purchases could significantly reduce homicide and suicide rates, likely through providing delays that prevented the commission of crimes of passion. Fatalities from firearms have risen dramatically in recent years, climbing to the highest level in nearly three decades. Requiring a federal waiting period of three business days to obtain handguns after purchase could reduce gun homicides by as much as 17 percent, based on analysis of the previous federal waiting period.
"I am committed to ending the gun violence epidemic in the United States, and the evidence-based COOL OFF Act, which mandates a federal waiting period for handgun purchases, will help achieve that goal and save lives," Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. "Our country has already faced more than 40 mass shootings this year after three consecutive years of more than 600. We need to use every tool at our disposal to combat this epidemic and research has shown that three-day waiting periods have historically reduced gun homicide rates by 17 percent, saving hundreds of lives each year. I urge my colleagues in Congress to embrace this legislation as an important step forward in the fight against gun violence.
The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-05), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Rep. Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25), Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. William R. Keating (MA-09), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06), Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32), and Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14).