Reps. Thompson, Fitzpatrick to Reintroduce ‘Bipartisan Background Checks’ for Guns Bill

Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) announced on Feb. 1 that they would reintroduce the Bipartisan Background Checks bill. The bill is supported by more than 80 percent of voters, and Congress should act on it as soon as possible, Fitzpatrick said.
“The devastating trend of mass shootings by dangerous, unstable individuals who are already ineligible from possessing a gun demands cooperation from both sides of the aisle. This legislation meets that demand,” Fitzpatrick said during a press conference.
Fitzpatrick is the latest co-sponsor on the bill Thompson has been pushing since 2012.
The bill would expand the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to include every firearm transfer. This would include private sales, loaning a firearm, or giving a gun as a gift. Any transfer would have to be handled by a federally licensed gun dealer who would perform the background check to ensure that the parties could legally own a firearm….}