Chattanooga, and charleston. We want to get your check thoughts on background checks. Should they be strengthened . If you support the idea, 202 7488000, oppose it, 202 7488001, and a third line for gun owners, 202 7488002. You can also check in on twitter and facebook. Senator joe manchin, a democrat from West Virginia who has worked on this issue of background checks, with pennsylvanias senator pat toomey. The hill newspaper reports that under federal law, licensed gun dealers are required to conduct a background check either online or by phone using the National Instant criminal background check system. In every state, the system searches for criminal convictions. But the system only scanned Mental Health records in 30 states because it is not required under federal law. Take a look a listen. [video clip] is there any federal solution to what we are talking about here . I need my friends on the republican side of the aisle to help with the most reasonable, sensible path forward. Basically, it is not gun control. It is just saying that listen, if you go to a gun shop, we need to know who you are and if you have had a problem before. Either criminal or a mental problem. If you go on the internet, those are too airy as areas where we have a lot of problems. We did not interfere with anything. But people are scared. They say i dont trust the government. Its a shame to be in a position where you dont trust anybody, but we are not going to let that happen. We are going to protect your Second Amendment rights, but we have to have a system with the fbi background check. We have to make sure it works. Host senator joe manchin on abcs face the nation on sunday, talking about this issue of background checks. What do you think . Should they be enhanced to . Support, oppose, a third line for gun owners. Louisiana governor bobby jindal was also on the sunday show, face the nation. Heres what he had to say about that shooting in the Movie Theater in his state. [video clip] never shut it happened. We actually passed tougher laws a few years ago. If someone has been committed here in louisiana, we would have reported that to the National Background check system. He would not have been able to my gun. He would not have been able to go and upon shop and buy that gun which he did in another state. Look every time it happens it seems like the present has a history of Mental Illness. We need to make sure the systems we have in place actually work. Like i said, in louisiana we toughened our laws a couple of years ago. If he had been involuntarily committed here he would not have been able to do that. Host louisiana governor on sunday, talking about how the shooter in the Movie Theater in louisiana was able to get his gun. He was never involuntarily committed. That is the headline from the washington post. He purchased a 40 caliber semi automatic handgun at a pawn shop in alabama last year. The gun control advocates say the case exposes a gap in the nations firearm laws. In trying to strike a balance between protecting the public and protecting the rights of people with Mental Illness federal lawmakers specifies that people merely taken for psychiatric it back a valuation as hauser was should retain their right to buy guns. Dean livingston, dean in livingston, texas. A republican and a gun owner. Caller we really have enough Information Available to Law Enforcement or whoever regulatory bodies, to find out anything about anybody. I think weve got enough stuff. They outline your whole life on a stream of data. Nine times out of 10 it is probably wrong, but they do the best they can. Weve got enough stuff out there about anybody that they can stop us from buying a gun. We dont need anymore. Its just ridiculous. Host ok. Well take a look at what the Justice Department put together about this National Instant criminal background check system, how it works. Here is why they would deny somebody a gun. Convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year, fugitive from justice. Misdemeanor crime of Domestic Violence conviction. Unlawful user or a controlled substance. Restraining order for Domestic Violence. Under indictment. Mental health and judy kate at. Illegal or unlawful alien. Federally denied persons file. Dishonorable discharge or even renounced u. S. Citizenship. Total from 1998, you are looking at 1. 2 million denials through this background check system. So we are asking all of you, should it be enhanced, what should be done . Congress has talked about it in the past. There has been legislation put forth. Kevin cirilli is joining us on the phone now to talk more about action in congress. Kevin cirilli, lets begin there. What is congress thinking, if anything, on background checks . Guest thank you for having me. I dont see that congress will be taking up any sort of gun reform package clearly not this week or in the fall. I think that the appetite for congress to take up this type of legislation just is not there. This is a republicancontrolled congress, senator pat toomey introduced their gun reform proposal after the new and it failed. That was a different time. Democrats have controlled the senate. This time i think if it fails then, there is really no chance that it would pass in a republicancontrolled congress. Host what did their legislation to . Guest what it would do is they would essentially they say close the gun show loophole. This is something we hear about quite frequently during the newtown tragedy. Essentially, it would make it more difficult for folks during gun shows to sell guns during gun shows. During a gun show, for example there are a lot of folks that go. People and families will have done heirlooms gun heirlooms. They will be making their own private sales in parking lots where these gun shows are. Its very difficult fight frankly, quite frankly to regulate this stuff. But when i think, and he will looted to this earlier, you a looted to this earlier, there are a lot of things on regulations on the books. Only 33 states are fully compliant with this system. I think the argument from some lawmakers on capitol hill is why arent they are forcing the current regulations that we have in place . I think that that is, look. The political reality of today no matter where you stand on this issue, is that lawmakers are not going to take us up. But, a conversation that perhaps is worth having, is why not enforce the laws that are already on the books . Host Kevin Cirilli, weve also heard from the president on this. That this is one of his biggest frustrations, that he has not been able to do anything on gun control. Up on capitol hill, is he pushing for Something Like he has seen his administration do for the iran deal, or for trade . Guest thats a great question. He was after newtown. We all rubber his speech that he gave we all member his speech that he gave following the terrible tragedy of sandy hook elementary school. I think quite honestly that was perhaps the biggest window, if you will, for lawmakers to pass this type of reform. But he failed. This time he is not doing that. They have to get a transportation funding bill. There is the iran deal. Lawmakers are heading into august recess. Again, he is not making that push at all. There is really no comparison in terms of what happened after sandy hook and what happened in louisiana. Both are tragic, mind you. But no, he is not making that same push. Host Kevin Cirilli with the hill we appreciate your time. Guest have a good one. Host lets turn to viewers here linda in texas, a democrat and a gun owner. Caller i think you should have stronger background checks. I also think they ought to make mandatory Liability Insurance. Host so you are a gun owner. Caller yes i am. I also have a concealed carry license and i also carry insurance. Host did you have to go through a background check . What was the process like . Caller it was very simple. I just answered some questions on a form and they did a background check. Then i was able to purchase my weapon. Host how long did it take . Caller all of 15 minutes. Host so 15 minutes. Because there is some movement here is senator tim kaine from virginia, who tweeted out i am calling on firearm dealers to halt sales until background checks are completed. He said in a press release also, he has 12 Senate Colleagues signed on. He says if the process takes longer than 72 hours, gun dealers can complete sales even though there is a risk that the register is dangerous. The fbi takes longer than 72 hours, the sales can go through. Do you agree with him saying that they should halt all sales . Caller yeah. I think they should do that. One of the things they could do to strengthen that is to make you show proof of Liability Insurance before you are able to get your license. Host how much disproof of Liability Insurance costs . Caller its a negligible cost. Its not expensive at all. Its no different than having a vehicle. Your vehicle is a dangerous weapon. So is a gun. Host what does your policy cover . Caller it covers accidents primarily, they will represent you in court. Host up to how much money . Caller i dont know the particulars on that, i dont remember. Host how long have you been a gun under . Gun owner . Caller years. Host why . Caller i was in the military. I like to target practice. I dont like to hunt. Host why the concealed carry . Caller texas requires it. Host are you one of those people that believe, if you are in a Movie Theater or somewhere else where there is a gunman shooting, if you had your gun you would be a lot of protect others in the theater . Caller no. I think it is more dangerous. I really oppose that our governor, we have this law now that you can have open carry. I think it is a big mistake. Host why do you think it is more dangerous . Caller i think youve got a lot had a lot of hotheaded people. Tetris tensions are great with unemployment, all kinds of issues. They put a lot of pressure on people. They get hot tempered, if you have the gun easily accessible people are going to use it. Host ok, that is linda, a gun owner. Gary, he supports the idea of enhanced ground checks. Caller i do. First of all i want to commend that lady from texas. Thats a very reasonable point of view. I applaud her. First, background checks. I see guns as a Public Safety issue. The problem is they are so ingrained in the american psyche that it will take generations to change peoples thinking on guns. I would like to see Even Stronger things and lamented implemented besides the background checks. Like to see a panel of experts and you would have to go before them and convince them you are fit to own a gun. Certainly more like a japan type of gun control and gun restriction. Host what about this. The New York Times notes this, about 40 of all gun sales are exempt from background checks because the seller is a private party, often operating online or at a gun show. Caller thats a problem. I used to have a gun, i bought it from a friend of mine. No background check, no nothing. I sold it to someone else. I wish that that would change. It is very hard to make that change. You really need some tight control you need like regular checks to see were not gun went. It would be difficult to track. I think it would have to be done. Host bill, Stone Mountain georgia. Gun owner. Caller good morning. Question, i agree that there should be enforcement of the existing gun laws, but white why arent we requiring the same type of back rent checks for people who drive cars . They kill a lot more people than guns have. In the last week or so there have been a number of People Killed with knives. Are we getting it to the point that we have to register knives . Just a little food for thought. Host bill, you are a gun owner . What do you own . Caller i own a 3030 rifle. Host why . Caller i got it at a premium for purchasing a set of tools. I am also ex military, so i know how to handle a gun. Right now i am kind of using it for self protection around the house. Host you feel that if there was some sort of intruder, thats what you want to protect yourself . Caller i wanted because i have it. I want it because i have it. Its not something im going to go out and buy even though i am considering a handgun. In the airy i live in area i live in, Police Response is Something Like 20 or 30 minutes. I would like to have a pistol to give myself a little selfsatisfaction not selfsatisfaction, but a feeling of security. Host all right bill. Now its andrew in virginia, go ahead. Caller good morning. I am a gun owner. I own a slew of firearms, a couple pistols, shotgun at one point. Every single one of those firearms that i own, i went under a background check for. Interestingly enough, i timed some of the background checks at some of the bookstores and pawnshops. Outside of filling out a form, the longest one i have had two minutes and 48 seconds. They called a line in see if i had a criminal history. The issue that i see with the system as it is currently, is not that it is too restrictive or something rather the information to the databases is not wide enough. There are a number of restrictions that we have now not all that information is uploaded to a central database, so that some person like the individual in louisiana, cant just cross a state order and acquire a gun legally and then come across the border again. There is also the historical example of the woman who bought a 22 pistol legally and try to assassinate a state representative a few years ago. Thankfully for us, her gun jammed. What she but that legally despite the fact that she was on a prohibited persons list because she had been for solidly forcibly put in a mental facility. Host what does this person do about the mentally ill aspect of this, because the New York Times reports that the background check system, in operation since 1998, has prevented more than 2. 4 million sales. It still has major gaps. It also has an narrow definition of who is considered to mentally ill to own a gun. Caller i worked for the military. It is a tough enough issue trying to convince people to come forward because of issues like ptsd. Not all circumstances where someone has had psychological care should lead to them being barred. There is any number of people that need help because of an emotional matter or a psychological matter, but that can be handled in a way, biomedical professional or by counseling, that they would be irresponsible gun owner. They would not have to have that Second Amendment right to self protection, or the right to bear arms. The difficulty is making determinations of what we want to do. Whether that is exclusively individuals that are adjudicated by a judge and put in a facility , or whether it is individuals that have certain disabilities if we dont think they would be able to make that decision between right and wrong. Allow medical professionals to share that information with the database. There are already exemptions for certain types of Law Enforcement and National Security investigations. There is a precedent for potentially expanding those exemptions to allow medical professionals to share that information that they believe would help adjudicated an individual. Host kevin, explain for those who dont know. In virginia you are allowed to have guns. In washington dc you are not. What you make of that . Caller after the Supreme Court decision a few years ago, there was an allowance of even pistols in washington dc. I am actually allowed to have a firearm in both locales, outside of specifically federal buildings. I am a federal a special case. However when i go into washington dc i just dont carry. Largely im going to a facility where it would be barred regardless of other activities. Its annoying, and at times it is a concern because if you are a normal person and you have the proper documentation for firearms and you have to cross through the jurisdiction of d. C. , you are concerned about getting pulled over for speeding issue are traffic issue and then having to explain why you are also carrying a firearm. There was an issue with a local soldier assigned to an airy around here, he was transporting a gun and got into a whole host of issues. It can be an administrative hassle. It is something that the localities the municipalities around washington dc should work out together, rather than civilly fan there is a whole simply saying there is a wholesale band of firearms. Host all right. Take a look at what gun owners of america are saying on this. Background checks are not stopping mass shootings, the concealed carriers are. The communication director for gun owners of america wrote an opposing view in usa today yesterday, where he said the fact is the entire background checks system is flawed. Not only is it unconstitutional and disarming many lawabiding citizens, it is failing to keep guns out of criminal hands. John, from washington, a gun owner. Caller good morning. Thank you for having me on. My concern is that the background checks are a Mental Health issue as a Mental Health issue could backfire. It could actually create more gun crimes just by virtue of driving people away from seeking help for fear that they could lose their gun license. Even if the law is written very much with that concern in mind, so that there is not actually much of a risk of that, you cant expect the general public to be aware of the details of the law such that they would trust it. I think most people would just connect, oh gee, if i get health care this could threaten my rights. Host kevin, in colorado. Do you support the idea of enhanced background checks . Tell us why. Caller i think is a good idea. I think if you have an involuntary admission to a