And it is totally bipartisan, because there is one Republican co-sponsor!
House lawmakers prepare rollout of gun control proposal
House lawmakers are planning to roll out a measure on Tuesday that would require universal background checks for nearly all firearms purchases, as House Democrats attempt to make good on their pledge to address gun control with their new majority.
The proposal, headlined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), is a bipartisan measure, with Rep. Peter T. King (D-N.Y.) serving as the lead Republican co-sponsor. According to an aide familiar with the package, the existence of which was previously reported in Politico, it will seek to impose universal background checks for the purchase and transfer of firearms, with some exceptions for hunting and family, but will not address an assault weapons ban.
For years, Democrats and several Republicans have been calling for Congress to take steps to better regulate gun purchases and possession, pointing to a spate of recent fatal mass shootings such as the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., the 2017 massacre at an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas, the 2016 shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, and the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. and at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.
Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), herself a shooting victim from a 2011 assassination attempt, plans to be in Washington on Tuesday to help unveil the legislation.
“Americans have spoken,â€Â she said on Twitter. “It’s time to address our gun violence epidemic, and this new Congress will not sit silent.â€
As I’ve written many times before, I do not have any problem with requiring a background check on all gun transactions, including transfers between family members. In at least one previous post within the last year I’ve written that I think there should be a background check on every firearm purchase. If you just made one last month, you’re getting another check this month. Things can change which would cause someone to fail a check. To me, getting a background check doesn’t interfere with one’s Right to the 2nd Amendment.
But it remains unclear whether such legislation could clear procedural hurdles in the Senate, which remains under Republican control. The closest that the Senate has come to passing gun control legislation expanding background checks was in 2013, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, when 56 senators rallied behind a measure — four votes shy of what they needed to clear procedural hurdles.
Last time, four Democrats voted against it. And, yes, the NRA did oppose it
The NRA released a statement immediately after the vote that said the measure would have “criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens.”
“As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools,” NRA executive director Chris Cox said in a statement.
On one hand, I’m going to disagree with the NRA, for which I’m a member, on criminalizing transfers between family members. Just because they’re family doesn’t mean they should have a firearm for various reasons. On the other hand, what we see is a lot of shooters having passed background checks then going on a rampage. So, how do they help? Uber-gun grabbing California already has this in place, yet, still sees shootings, including by people who passed a background check.
But, you have to wonder what kind of poison pill will be included in the upcoming legislation. You know it will be there. Something that Democrats have no problem voting for, but will stop the majority of Republicans. That way they can say “look, we tried, but those darned Republicans!” I guess we’ll see on Tuesday.
They would all be best served if they worked on legislation to revamp the backgrounds check system to make sure it works properly.
