Parkland Survivors David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin: Will D.C. Find the Guts to Pass Gun Checks?
Ninety-seven percent. That’s the overwhelming percentage of Americans who are in favor of universal background checks. No issue in American politics is more universally agreed upon than this. Yet nearly 40,000 people died last year due to gun violence. Why?
The truth of the matter is that members of Congress have spent decades being more concerned with their individual political futures than preventing gun fatalities. Most past presidents, too, have paid little more than lip service to families reeling from the loss of their children and loved ones.
Today, a new bill will be introduced that offers a glimmer of hope after a year marked by unspeakable tragedy. The universal background bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY), will close loopholes like the one for online gun sales and the gun show loophole, which have made it easy for just about anyone to buy a gun.