SHOW TRANSCRIPT
are again up for debate on Capitol Hill. But our existing gun laws are irrationally limited, loophole ridden, and inadequate, said Robyn Thomas, the executive director of the Giffords Law Center. These gaps make it too easy for felons, and mentally unstable people to get their hands on guns and harm others, said Sen. Dick Durbin.
So what are these loopholes that currently exist in the country s background check system?
Gun show and internet loopholes are two of the most frequently mentioned. Federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run buyers through a background check for every sale, regardless of where that sale is completed. Private and unlicensed sellers don t face that same requirement. So they can sell firearms at gun shows or online without doing a background check, and even gun rights advocates recognize the rise of internet gun sales could be problematic.
Republican Lawmakers Seethe Over New Gun Control Laws, Call It A ‘Radical Agenda’
03/11/21 AT 3:28 PM
Republican lawmakers are vowing to fight new bills passed by the Democratic-led House that tackle gun control measures, calling the moves an infringement of rights and a “radical agenda” after the pair of measures passed.
The two measures both work to expand the background check period for those who want to purchase a gun. According to Reuters, the first measure, which did receive support from eight Republicans, allowing the bill to pass 227-203, closes a loophole in gun laws that expands background checks when guns are purchased over the internet, at gun shows and through certain private transactions.
Congress could start a push for universal background check legislation as soon as this month.
Democrats control the House, Senate, and White House, making passage more likely than in past years.
But it will be a tougher fight for passage in the Senate, where Republicans can still filibuster.
A small troop of House Democrats marched across the Capitol on November 20, 2019, to GOP leader Mitch McConnell s office. They demanded the passage of HR 8, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, joined by fellow Democrats, the bill s lead sponsor Rep. Mike Thompson of California, anti-gun violence activist Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, and several others carried a large sign demanding then-Majority Leader McConnell take up the bill. The measure had passed the House that February only to languish for more than 260 days with no action from the Senate.