Senate Democrats are zeroing in on a push to require universal background checks for gun purchases in the wake of last week's shooting at a Florida high school.Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that universal background checks would be the party's "number one priority."
"Our No. 1 priority is going to be universal background checks, which is supported by about 80 percent of the American people, and closing the gun show loophole and all the other ways that people get around the background checks," he told reporters.
Lawmakers have turned their focus to the background check system after last week's shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Congress "must act by closing loopholes in gun laws and passing universal background checks" while Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) added that President Trump needs to "support universal background checks, bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines."
Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening that "we must now focus on strengthening Background Checks." And the White House said this week that the president supports a bill by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) aimed at strengthening the National Instant Background Check System (NICS).
But Schumer said on Wednesday that was a "small step" and "not close to enough."
"In terms of getting something real done, the universal background check is at the, sort of, nexus of [having] a chance of actually becoming law, particularly if the president would support it, and at the same time doing a whole lot of good," he said.
The House passed its version of the Cornyn-Murphy bill last year, but attached it to legislation allowing people to use permits for carrying concealed handguns across state lines.
But linking the two issues is largely considered a non-starter in the Senate, where Republicans will need the support of at least nine Democrats to get any bill through the chamber.
The Cornyn-Murphy bill does not include the concealed carry reciprocity provision. Schumer said on Wednesday that it would be a "very, very bad idea" to try to merge the two proposals into one bill.
"That would be a repeat of what they tried to do, what the administration tried to do, on immigration. Attach something good ... to something so totally unacceptable," he said.
Step by step, the government is removing our God given rights.
#1: Justified To: buckeroo (#0)
Why make laws when they government ignores them and bad things keep happening.
The number of failures by government is higher than the number of pages in the tax code!
Justified posted on 2018-02-21 14:44:14 Reply Private Reply
#2: buckeroo To: Justified (#1)
Who ya goin' call, GHOSTBUSTERS?
buckeroo posted on 2018-02-21 15:00:04 Reply Private Reply
#3: Justified To: buckeroo (#2)
Justified posted on 2018-02-21 15:18:49 Reply Private Reply
#4: buckeroo To: Justified (#3)
The central or core of business in America is about products minus agrarian needs whereas the opposite was true prior to WW2.
buckeroo posted on 2018-02-21 15:37:47 Reply Private Reply
#5: sneakypete To: buckeroo (#0)
sneakypete posted on 2018-02-21 19:27:51 Reply Private Reply
#6: sneakypete To: Justified (#1)
Why don't they just take a shortcut and make it illegal to shoot to injure or kill innocent people,or to use guns to commit crimes?
OOOPS! Can you say "Dim Voting Block"?
sneakypete posted on 2018-02-21 19:30:33 Reply Private Reply
#7: Hondo68 To: buckeroo, sneakypete, misterwhite, Tooconservative, *Bang List* (#0)
The key word here is "Universal", which would increase the number of NICS checks to include private sales, including both those at gun shows or anywhere else. Private sales at gun shows (not a FFL dealer) have become known as "The Gun Show Loophole".
I believe that Sen Cornyn's bill ONLY deals with reporting by gov agencies to the FBI/NICS system. It doesn't increase the number of NICS checks, but does increase the chances of denial.
They both suck, but Schumer's "Gun Show Loople" version is worse because it includes ALL gun sales regardless of whether Private or a FFL gun shop. This would significantly increase the number of background checks.
Don't mistake this as an endorsement by me of either Cornyn nor Trump. Their 2a infringements suck too, just not as bad as Chuckie's!
Hondo68 posted on 2018-02-21 20:00:42 Reply Private Reply
#8: tpaine To: Justified (#1)
The socialists passed a 'law' that claims everyone in the state of calif. must use a background check dealer to sell a firearm.
Many people are ignoring it, and I haven't heard of any convictions and I doubt any informed juries would.. -- I'd bet that eventually this stupid law will contribute to the black market on guns, exactly one of the reasons given for why it was initially written.
tpaine posted on 2018-02-21 20:21:38 Reply Private Reply
#9: Hondo68 To: tpaine (#8)
There already is a black market, although I wouldn't have any info to report about that other than what I see in the MSM.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-02-21 20:29:43 Reply Private Reply
#10: rlk To: buckeroo (#0)
Universal disarmament of the American citisonry is a bigger ultimate priority. This nation has been teetering on the verge of armed revolution for decades. The subversives due to be revolted against are attempting to impose total disarmament to save their own God damned necks.
rlk posted on 2018-02-21 21:02:58 Reply Private Reply
#11: buckeroo To: hondo68 (#7)
Of course, hondo.
buckeroo posted on 2018-02-21 21:22:35 Reply Private Reply
#12: jeremiad To: buckeroo (#0)
jeremiad posted on 2018-02-21 21:57:12 Reply Private Reply
#13: buckeroo To: jeremiad (#12)
Good post. Closing the so-called gunshow loop-hole will probably not affect you. What is happening is across all states in the USA that NICS be applied.
buckeroo posted on 2018-02-21 22:06:16 Reply Private Reply
#14: sneakypete To: buckeroo (#0)
Of course it is. How can they plan the confiscation of all privately-owned weapons unless they have a master list of who owns what and where they live?
sneakypete posted on 2018-02-22 09:56:37 Reply Private Reply
#15: sneakypete To: rlk (#10)
Yup,but without the first step of mandatory "background checks" (also known as "making a list,and checking it twice,in order to see who has been naughty and who has been nice") they don't have the major tool they need to start that process.
This nation has been teetering on the verge of armed revolution for decades. The subversives due to be revolted against are attempting to impose total disarmament to save their own God damned necks.
There it is. They can't start there much-lusted after communist revolution and takeover in America as long as there is any danger that Americans can fight back.
sneakypete posted on 2018-02-22 10:01:55 Reply Private Reply
#16: sneakypete To: buckeroo, jeremiad (#13)
They can't complete their plans for arrest and confiscations until they have a NATIONAL data base from all the states. The one thing they fear the most is having the majority of Americans become aware that their ultimate aim is to take over America and establish a communist police state because then it would be THEM dying.
sneakypete posted on 2018-02-22 10:07:52 Reply Private Reply