Senate Democrats Urge President Trump To Endorse Legislation To Close Gun Show & Online Purchase Loopholes – Such A Move By Pres. Trump Would Fulfill His Calls For Comprehensive Background Checks

After Horrific School Shooting In Florida, President Trump Said That He Would Be Pushing “Strongly Comprehensive Background Checks” To Prevent Future Massacres – Senate Dems Urge Him To Keep His Word By Supporting Legislation To Close Loopholes In Background Check System

 Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today joined U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in releasing a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to act on commonsense gun safety legislation. Following the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida two weeks ago that killed 17 students and teachers, President Trump said he would be pushing “strongly comprehensive background checks” to prevent future massacres. The Senate Democrats today urged him to keep his word, as the GOP and National Rifle Association (NRA) have remained unwavering on this issue and left Congress in gridlock over the last several years. The Democrats said they have proposed bills that would both ensure background checks for anyone wishing to buy firearms and close gun show and online purchase loopholes that enable individuals who are denied guns by federally licensed dealers to circumvent the system and acquire deadly weapons. The senators said the president’s support for commonsense gun safety legislation could be just what Congress needs to ensure this issue is no longer held hostage and lives are saved.

A copy of their letter to the president appears below:

Dear President Trump,

We were encouraged by some of your initial remarks in the wake of the tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. After that horrific attack, you said that you would be “strongly pushing comprehensive background checks” in an effort to combat the epidemic of mass shootings that has plagued our country. We couldn’t agree more that background checks are an integral part of ensuring that guns don’t fall into the wrong hands.

In order to ensure that background checks are truly comprehensive, at minimum it is essential that we close both the gun show and internet sales loopholes. It makes no sense that an individual who is denied a gun by a federally licensed dealer can simply visit a gun show or go online to purchase the same gun that they were denied at the store.

We write today to request that you strongly support legislation that closes those loopholes for good. In the past, Democrats have proposed a number of bills that would ensure a truly comprehensive approach to background checks only to face unwavering opposition from the National Rifle Association and their allies in Congress. In the wake of the horrific shootings of the past few months, we have an opportunity to change that dynamic. With your leadership, Mr. President, we have an opportunity to break through the gridlock that has held this issue hostage for so many years and finally enact the kind of commonsense gun safety legislation that over 90% of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, support.

Were you to endorse legislation to require a background check on every gun purchase, without other poison pill provisions attached, we could finally move much closer towards the comprehensive system that you called for after the Stoneman Douglas attack.

We stand ready and eager to work with you to find common ground and close these dangerous loopholes. We hope that you will strongly endorse and push legislation that will get it done.

Sincerely,

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

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