The Democratic-led House last Congress passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, aimed at strengthening background checks for gun purchases, in February 2019. The bill never received votes in the GOP-controlled Senate.
While Democrats control the House, the party would need all 50 members in the Senate to rally around gun legislation and be joined by at least 10 Republican senators to overcome the legislative filibuster.
“For years, this bipartisan House-passed background checks bill languished in the Senate under Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
The legislation would extend required background checks to all unlicensed sellers, including online, at gun shows or out of homes. Exceptions would include transfers between law enforcement officers, loaning firearms for hunting, gifting to immediate family members, inheritance transfers and temporary transfers for immediate self-defense.
Gun sales are shooting up at record-breaking levels in Oregon, with shop owners citing upticks in violence and riots as the biggest motivator for people to arm themselves.
SoCal Gun Sales Shoot Through the Roof
The combined events of the past year and ongoing calls for federal gun control have created ideal conditions for a massive local surge in gun and ammo sales, according to Southern California gun rights advocates.
Trent Butler, executive director of the Orange County Gun Owners (OCGO) political action committee, told The Epoch Times that civil unrest, political rhetoric, COVID-19 lockdowns, financial uncertainty, and disruptions in the supply chain have led to a spike in firearms and ammunition sales for more than a year.
“It’s a perfect storm,” Butler said. “I think people are making very complex value assessments and deciding that having a substantial ability to defend themselves … is something that’s critical to daily life.”