WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH) voted against two gun bills which passed the House of Representatives Thursday.

The House passed two bills that would further restrict Americans’ access to firearms. The so-called Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R.8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R.1446) are two bills that gun control advocates say will save lives by requiring universal background checks.

These bills place further legal burdens on law-abiding citizens while failing to address the ways in which criminals actually obtain illegal firearms through theft and the use of “straw buyers.”

Davidson, a former Army Ranger and West Point graduate, opposed both bills:

“These bills assume that we don’t already have background checks in the United States. Every commercial firearm transaction in the United States requires a background check,” he said. “The bills make criminals out of law-abiding Americans and force all gun owners to go through government-licensed agents just to borrow a hunting rifle. The bill also creates a worrisome registry of firearm owners. This violates the privacy of Americans who wish to exercise their God-given rights. It’s an unconstitutional two-for-one attack on Americans’ Second and Fourth Amendment rights.”

Davidson added, “What is stopping the government from using this information in the future to further disarm Americans or place them under heightened scrutiny? These bills are an affront to liberty and to law-abiding Americans across the country.”