Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), is pushing for more gun control, joining up with Connecticut Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal to demand federal background checks on anyone who buys ammunition.
This week, the two Democrats offered up the “Ammunition Background Check Act” which, they claim, “would enforce current federal law by requiring instant background checks for the sale of gun ammunition to prevent criminals from illegally purchasing ammunition.”
Wasserman Schultz insisted that federal background checks on gun purchases should include buying ammo, claiming that this was a loophole and wanting anyone who purchases ammunition should be covered by the FBI National Instant Background Check System (NICS).
“This common-sense legislation simply enforces existing federal law, and will make it harder for criminals to amass hundreds of rounds of ammunition without so much as sharing their first name with a gun store clerk,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Closing this absurd loophole will not by itself stop the next mass shooting tragedy. But this popular approach must be part of our larger strategy for ending gun violence. Studies show it can help keep ‘bad guys with guns’ from perpetrating another mass slaughter like the one we witnessed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in my Broward County community, or the thousands of other acts of gun violence that devastate communities across the country. It takes more than just a gun to take an innocent life. It also takes bullets. We need to do all we can to make sure neither of them ends up in the wrong hands.”
“Ammunition sales should be subject to the same legal requirements as firearm sales, and that includes instant background checks,” Blumenthal said. “The same laws that prevent dangerous individuals from purchasing firearms also prohibit them from amassing arsenals of ammunition, with one major loophole: there are no background checks for ammunition sales to enforce the law. Closing this ludicrous loophole is a common sense component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce gun violence.”
Several states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey currently want licenses and background checks to buy ammo and California and New York are now in the process of following suit.
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