By Francie Diep, Pacific Standard, August 5, 2019
Separate gunmen in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, killed a total of 29 people this weekend, and injured dozens more. The El Paso slayings, especially, have drawn attention because the shooter allegedly posted an anti-Hispanic, racist screed online immediately before the shooting. In the aftermath of the two tragedies, lawmakers and President Donald Trump have discussed the importance of background checks and so-called "red-flag" laws. Yet there are already two such bills aimed at reducing gun violence. Both are currently languishing in Congress.
On Sunday, Senate Democrats called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to bring a federal gun-control law to vote. The law would require background checks on everyone who buys a gun in America, even if they get the firearm from a private seller. On Monday, Trump also expressed his support for expanded background checks for firearm purchases, even while stressing the need for "immigration reform."
The specific law that the Democratic senators are thinking of is the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. It closes a well-known loophole in the existing federal background checks law, which allows unlicensed sellers—such as people at gun shows—to sell firearms without running a background check on their buyers. At a House of Representatives hearing for the act this past February, supporters of the legislation showed up in force, many of them survivors of mass shootings like the ones in El Paso and Dayton. Even many of the Republicans on the committee were gentle in their dissent. The feeling in the room seemed to reflect the reality that numerous polls indicate large majorities of Americans supporting background checks on all firearms purchases.
Comments (0)