What a gigantic waste of time, no background check would have stopped Newtown or Aurora.
Via The Hill:
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) have reached a deal to expand background checks for gun purchases, according to a source briefed on the agreement.
The two lawmakers have scheduled a joint press conference for 11 a.m. Wednesday to discuss their latest progress.
Gun-control groups briefed on the main points of the emerging deal endorsed it.
“The deal as I understand it is a good deal. It is significantly less than true universal background checks but would make it harder for criminals to exploit the easiest avenues for obtaining illegal guns,” said a gun-control advocate briefed on the deal. “If I go online or to a gun show or to a classified ad to buy a gun, I have to undergo a background check and a record will be kept.
“It won’t cover every transaction but it will make it much harder for straw purchasers to buy guns in bulk and sell them,” said the source.
Update: Could not agree more with the NRA’s statement on this.
Via NRA:
Expanding background checks at gun shows will not prevent the next shooting, will not solve violent crime and will not keep our kids safe in schools. While the overwhelming rejection of President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg’s “universal” background check agenda is a positive development, we have a broken mental health system that is not going to be fixed with more background checks at gun shows. The sad truth is that no background check would have prevented the tragedies in Newtown, Aurora or Tucson. We need a serious and meaningful solution that addresses crime in cities like Chicago, addresses mental health deficiencies, while at the same time protecting the rights of those of us who are not a danger to anyone. President Obama should be as committed to dealing with the gang problem that is tormenting honest people in his hometown as he is to blaming law-abiding gun owners for the acts of psychopathic murderers.
Update II:
If Nanny Bloomberg’s backing the bill, that’s all we need to know.
(WaPo) — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), a leading supporter of new gun-control measures, on Wednesday gave his blessing to the compromise legislation crafted by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
“This bill will not only help keep guns out of the wrong hands; it will help save lives and keep our communities safe,” Bloomberg said in a statement released by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group he founded. “Our bipartisan coalition of more than 900 mayors strongly supports this bill and looks forward to working with other leaders, including Sens. (Charles) Schumer and (Mark) Kirk who have worked tirelessly on this issue, to do all we can to ensure its passage.”
Bloomberg has spent millions of his personal fortune pushing for stricter gun-control measures. But he said that the bill, which would require background checks on all commercial gun transactions, is a strong step in the right direction.
“I want to thank Sens. Manchin and Toomey for their determination to find common ground on a bill that Democrats and Republicans can fully support,” Bloomberg said.