House Democrats are planning to move several high-profile bills to combat gun violence soon after they take power in January. At the top of their list is federal background checks on all gun purchases --specifically private sales.
“All private gun sales would be banned,” says Michael Hammond,legislative counsel for Gun Owners of America. “If you want to buy a gun, you have to go to a dealer. If the dealer is 100 miles away you'll have to take the day off.”
Hammond says the problem is most mass shooters already passed a background check, or stole the weapons used to kill people.
“How is it if all these shooters have passed background checks, making them pass background checks is somehow going to improve the situation? What's that going to do, put them on double super-secret probation?” he asks.
“I cannot think of a single one of these mass shootings in which A, the shooter didn't pass a background check. Or B, the shooter didn't steal his guns and not need a background check.”
Hammond says Democrats couldn't pass gun control after Sandy Hook, and he doesn't see it passing now either.