Dem Stands with Charleston Families: Pushes Background Checks Alleged Gunman Passed

AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB

On July 8, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-5th) stood with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and families of Charleston victims and pushed for the very background checks alleged gunman Dylann Roof passed.

On March 4, Thompson began pushing to expand background checks from strictly retail sales to private sales as well. He appeared with Gabby Giffords to launch the legislation but appeared with families of the Charleston attack on July 8th.

Ironically, Gifford’s attacker, Jared Loughner, passed a background check for the gun he used in her attack, just as Roof passed a check for the gun with which he allegedly attacked Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

According to Reuters, Thompson is seeking to expand background checks to cover online sales and gun shows. Ironically, guns purchased online already require a background check. For example, if an Idaho resident wanted to buy a gun from a retailer selling guns in North Carolina, that gun would be shipped from the Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) in NC to an FFL in Idaho, where the buyer would undergo a background check before he or she could take possession of the gun.

Again, that is already the law of the land.

Moreover, Roof did not buy his gun online or at a gun show or anywhere obscure—he bought it at a retailer and the FBI confirmed he passed a background check to get it.

So Thompson appeared with Pelosi, surrounded by Charleston families, to push background checks that already exist as a solution to crimes in which the attackers passed background checks to get their guns.

The Nation reports that Thompson’s bill has four Republican co-sponsors: Reps. Peter King (R-NY-2nd), Bob Dold (R-Ill.-10th), Pat Meehan (R-PA-7th), and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8th). None of them appeared with Thompson on Wednesday.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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