Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to end the senate recess to pass two bills related to gun control reform.
Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-D-05) submitted a letter to McConnell, backed by the chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Mike Thompson (CA-D-05) and 212 members of the House Democratic Caucus. The letter was signed by all seven Democratic members of Michigan’s congressional delegation.
The letter urges McConnell to bring the senate back into session to pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112. The two acts would tighten background checks for purchasing a gun and “could prevent dangerous criminals from obtaining weapons and save lives,” according to the letter.
The letter comes in the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.
“You have allowed more than 150 days to pass [since the House passed the bills] and countless lives have been lost including those most recently lost in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois and the many others who will never make the headlines,” the letter reads.
H.R. 8, also known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, prohibits the transfer of a firearm between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first conducts a background check. It provides an exemption to some transfers, such as those between spouses.
The bill passed the house on February 27 with a vote of 240 to 190. It was read in the Senate for the second time on March 4.
Its counterpart bill, H.R. 1112, extends the time licensed gun dealers are required to wait for a background check to come through from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Although most buyers pass or fail a background check through this system immediately, missing or unclear information may slow down the process. Dealers are currently required to wait three business days. If passed, the Enhanced Background Checks Act would require dealers to wait 10 business days before selling the guy.
“The additional time for checks to be completed will help prevent the transfer of guns to individuals who are ineligible to possess them, and will make us safer,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10) in a February statement about the bill.
The bill passed the house on February 28 with a vote of 228 to 198. It was read in the Senate for the second time on March 5.
“This inaction must stop. We know background checks save lives,” the letter reads. “Any delay to pass commonsense gun violence prevention legislation only increases the chances that more innocent people in America may suffer from the tragic and needless loss caused by gun violence.”
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter for Battleground State News and The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
