Currently a legal loophole allows an individual convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime to obtain a firearm. @RepCicillineís Disarm Hate Act thatís being considered by @HouseJudiciary today would close that loophole. We strongly urge Congress to enact this bill and #DisarmHate. pic.twitter.com/cuvcXclH4n ó ADL (@ADL) September 10, 2019

The House Judiciary Committee passed new legislation overnight which would prohibit individuals convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from owning firearms. The Disarm Hate Act is one among a flurry of new congressional proposals that have gained traction in the wake of several high-profile mass shootings in recent weeks.



The bill now heads to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote before the full chamber.



"The link between gun violence and bigotry is clear. Convicted hate criminals are a danger to our society. They should not be allowed to legally own guns," Representative David Cicilline, who sponsored the bill, said in a press release. "I'm pleased that we are sending this bill to the House floor. Democrats are taking action to save lives. Until Republicans stop blocking these bills, the blood of nearly 40,000 Americans each year will continue to stain their hands."



The committee also signed off on a pair of other gun control items, tackling areas of concern for activists who have pushed for tighter regulation of firearm possession. One bill would outlaw high capacity magazines, and another would encourage states to pass "red flag" laws, which allow courts to temporarily confiscate guns from suspected violent actors.

- A man stands outside a polling place on election day pretending to be a volunteer. When Hispanic voters arrive at the polling place, he gives them incorrect information about where they should go to cast their ballot. The man may be charged under California's hate crimes laws for interfering with those people's civil rights based on their ethnicity.



- A woman threatens violence against her neighbors, a homosexual male couple. The woman may be charged under California's criminal threats law . . . and she may face several additional years in prison if the prosecutor can prove that she made the threats because of the couple's sexual orientation.



- Several teenagers vandalize a Jewish temple. In addition to being charged with ordinary vandalism, they may face much more severe penalties if they were motivated by bias against the Jewish religion.



- A man who hates the Catholic religion creates a disturbance at a Catholic mass, yelling, screaming and damaging property in the church. (This man could also be charged with the related offense of Penal Code 302 PC disturbing a religious meeting, which is a separate misdemeanor offense.)

Several Jewish groups and lawyers are urging Texas to halt the execution of a Jewish inmate who said his judge was anti-Semitichttps://t.co/3XEbgqCNVU ó Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) September 6, 2019