Mike Thompson makes news in Benicia: “military grade assault weapons do not belong in citizens’ hands”

March 17, 2018
Congressional Representative holds Town Hall in Benicia CA on March 17
US Representative Mike Thompson, California’s Fifth District

I became a Mike Thompson fan at his Benicia Town Hall on March 17.

Our Representative demonstrated a thorough grasp of shocking gun violence statistics.  He is strongly opposed to arming teachers and supports CDC research into gun violence.  He is an expert on legislative procedural matters regarding gun control, and chairs a House Task Force on Gun Violence.  He is sponsoring a number of bills (of note, H.R. 1565) and supporting others, and was very much aware of the accelerating national opposition to NRA influence.

Although Rep. Thompson focuses primarily on practical, achievable legislative goals like strengthening background checks, he spoke plainly about assault weapons at the town hall in Benicia, California.  More than once, Thompson boldly asserted that military grade automatic and semi-automatic assault weapons “do not belong in the hands of citizens.”

What can this mean other than an assault weapons ban?  Some day.  When asked if he supports Senator Feinstein’s 2017 bill to ban assault weapons, Rep. Thompson nodded affirmatively, and said he agreed, and repeated that “assault weapons do not belong in citizen hands.”

Two current House bills proposing a ban on assault weapons are not yet supported by Thompson: H.R.5087 and H.R.4268.  And as of this writing, Thompson’s view opposing assault weapons does not yet appear on his website, nor in any press release I can find.  It seems the Congressman was unveiling a new and stronger position here in Benicia last Saturday.

Recent Thompson press releases: