Anyone convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty would be prohibited from legally obtaining a firearm if legislation recently introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives is passed.

Introduced June 28 by U.S. Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), HR 6278, the Animal Violence Exposes Real Threat (AVERT) Future Gun Violence Act of 2018, would amend Title 18 of U.S. Code to prohibit any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of animal cruelty from possessing or disposing of a firearm.

Current federal law prohibits those convicted of felony animal cruelty crimes from legally obtaining a gun; however, some states prosecute animal cruelty as a misdemeanor. The proposed measure is intended to close that loophole in federal background checks.

“From Columbine to Parkland to Sutherland Springs, these perpetrators of mass gun violence had a history of animal abuse,” Clark said. “Addressing this pattern of behavior is part of the solution when it comes to preventing gun violence and saving lives