(ii) not less than 1 non-elected indi-
vidual from each of the following cat-
egories, who has expertise in the category, 
by both experience and training: 
(I) Firearms. 
(II) Mental health. 
(III) School safety. 
(IV) Mass media. 
(B) EXPERTS.—In identifying the individ-
uals to serve on the Commission, the appointing 
authorities shall take special care to identify ex-
perts in the fields described in section 
303(a)(2). 
(C) PARTY AFFILIATION.—Not more than 
6 members of the Commission shall be from the 
same political party. 
(3) COMPLETION
OF
APPOINTMENTS; VACAN-
CIES.—Not later than 30 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the appointing authorities under 
paragraph (1) shall each make their respective ap-
pointments. Any vacancy that occurs during the life 
of the Commission shall not affect the powers of the 
Commission, and shall be filled in the same manner 
as the original appointment not later than 30 days 
after the vacancy occurs. 
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(4) OPERATION OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(A) MEETINGS.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission 
shall meet at the call of the Chairman. 
(ii) INITIAL
MEETING.—The initial 
meeting of the Commission shall be con-
ducted not later than 30 days after the 
later of— 
(I) the date of the appointment 
of the last member of the Commis-
sion; or 
(II) the date on which appro-
priated funds are available for the 
Commission. 
(B) 
QUORUM; 
VACANCIES; 
VOTING; 
RULES.—A majority of the members of the 
Commission shall constitute a quorum to con-
duct business, but the Commission may estab-
lish a lesser quorum for conducting hearings 
scheduled by the Commission. Each member of 
the Commission shall have 1 vote, and the vote 
of each member shall be accorded the same 
weight. The Commission may establish by ma-
jority vote any other rules for the conduct of 
the Commission’s business, if such rules are not 
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inconsistent with this title or other applicable 
law. 
SEC. 303. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be the duty of the 
Commission to conduct a comprehensive factual 
study of incidents of mass violence, including inci-
dents of mass violence not involving firearms, in the 
context of the many acts of senseless mass violence 
that occur in the United States each year, in order 
to determine the root causes of such mass violence. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE STUDIED.—In determining 
the root causes of these recurring and tragic acts of 
mass violence, the Commission shall study any mat-
ter that the Commission determines relevant to 
meeting the requirements of paragraph (1), includ-
ing at a minimum— 
(A) the role of schools, including the level 
of involvement and awareness of teachers and 
school administrators in the lives of their stu-
dents and the availability of mental health and 
other resources and strategies to help detect 
and counter tendencies of students towards 
mass violence; 
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(B) the effectiveness of and resources 
available for school security strategies to pre-
vent incidents of mass violence; 
(C) the role of families and the availability 
of mental health and other resources and strat-
egies to help families detect and counter ten-
dencies toward mass violence; 
(D) the effectiveness and use of, and re-
sources available to, the mental health system 
in understanding, detecting, and countering 
tendencies toward mass violence, as well as the 
effects of treatments and therapies; 
(E) whether medical doctors and other 
mental health professionals have the ability, 
without negative legal or professional con-
sequences, to notify law enforcement officials 
when a patient is a danger to himself or others; 
(F) the nature and impact of the alien-
ation of the perpetrators of such incidents of 
mass violence from their schools, families, peer 
groups, and places of work; 
(G) the role that domestic violence plays in 
causing incidents of mass violence; 
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(H) the effect of depictions of mass vio-
lence in the media, and any impact of such de-
pictions on incidents of mass violence; 
(I) the availability and nature of firearms, 
including the means of acquiring such firearms, 
and all positive and negative impacts of such 
availability and nature on incidents of mass vio-
lence or in preventing mass violence; 
(J) the role of current prosecution rates in 
contributing to the availability of weapons that 
are used in mass violence; 
(K) the availability of information regard-
ing the construction of weapons, including ex-
plosive devices, and any impact of such infor-
mation on such incidents of mass violence; 
(L) the views of law enforcement officials, 
religious leaders, mental health experts, and 
other relevant officials on the root causes and 
prevention of mass violence; 
(M) incidents in which firearms were used 
to stop mass violence; and 
(N) any other area that the Commission 
determines contributes to the causes of mass vi-
olence. 
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(3) TESTIMONY OF VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS.— 
In determining the root causes of these recurring 
and tragic incidents of mass violence, the Commis-
sion shall, in accordance with section 304(a), take 
the testimony of victims and survivors to learn and 
memorialize their views and experiences regarding 
such incidents of mass violence. 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Based on the findings of 
the study required under subsection (a), the Commission 
shall make recommendations to the President and Con-
gress to address the causes of these recurring and tragic 
incidents of mass violence and to reduce such incidents 
of mass violence. 
(c) REPORTS.— 
(1) INTERIM
REPORT.—Not later than 3 
months after the date on which the Commission first 
meets, the Commission shall submit to the President 
and Congress an interim report describing any ini-
tial recommendations of the Commission. 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date on which the Commission first meets, 
the Commission shall submit to the President and 
Congress a comprehensive report of the findings and 
conclusions of the Commission, together with the 
recommendations of the Commission. 
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