Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) announced on Feb. 1 they would reintroduce the “Bipartisan Background Checks” bill. The bill is supported by more than 80 percent of voters, and Congress should act on it as soon as possible, Fitzpatrick said.
“The devastating trend of mass shootings by dangerous, unstable individuals who are already ineligible from possessing a gun demands cooperation from both sides of the aisle. This legislation meets that demand,” Fitzpatrick said during a press conference.
The bill would expand the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to include every firearm transfer. This would include private sales, loaning a firearm, or giving a gun as a gift. Any transfer would have to be handled by a federally licensed gun dealer who would perform the background check to ensure the parties could legally own a firearm….