Senate Committee Passes Gun Trafficking Bill - East Idaho News
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Senate Committee Passes Gun Trafficking Bill

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Getty 030713 USCapitolBldg?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1362677615692iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the first piece of gun legislation out of committee Thursday morning when it voted in favor of a gun trafficking bill with a vote of 11 to 7.

The bill, which is sponsored by committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make “straw” purchasing, which occurs when a buyer buys a gun on behalf of someone who cannot legally purchase one, illegal.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was the lone Republican to vote in favor of the bill.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering three additional measures Thursday, including the assault weapons ban, a background check bill, and school safety legislation.

While the gun trafficking bill made it out of committee early in the morning, the assault weapons ban and background check bill may not face a similar fate.  

Grassley, the ranking member of the committee, voiced his own uneasiness with the bills.  He argued that the assault weapons ban would not have prevented the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary and said that the background check bill could lead to a gun registry and higher confiscations.

On Wednesday, the background check bill hit a roadblock when Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., backed out of talks with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. on the measure, according to reports.

Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., expressed their own concerns with the bill Wednesday, saying they could not support it in its current language but vowed to continue conversations on the issue.

“We are committed to continuing to work in a bipartisan effort with Senators Schumer, Coburn and others in order to find a commonsense solution for enhanced background checks, however, Senator Schumer’s current proposal is one we cannot support as it stands today,” Manchin and Kirk said in a joint statement. “Our goal is to pass a bill that will close loopholes in the current background check process in a way that does not burden law-abiding citizens. Any bill we support will guarantee that Americans’ Second Amendment rights are clearly protected. We simply want to make sure firearms do not end up in the hands of convicted criminals or people who are deemed mentally unstable by court ruling.

“While the bill Senator Schumer introduced today doesn’t meet this standard, we will continue to work with Senator Schumer, Senator Coburn and other colleagues to find a commonsense compromise,” Kirk and Manchin said.

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