Despite the gridlock on Capitol Hill, a group of gun control advocates asked Congress to act on expanded background checks.
Flanked by local members of the Brady Campaign, Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) made a plea to the leadership in the House, asking them to allow a vote on a bill he is co-sponsoring. The bill comes after the latest school shooting at a community college in Oregon.
“We’re not trying to do something radical,” Peters said. “We’re trying to improve an existing law that has a big loophole in it. We have a background law that only applies to 60 percent of gun purchases, let’s cover the rest. Let’s do what we can to prevent the wrong people from getting these weapons.”
Since the shooting, Peters said House leadership has not allowed any gun control measures to make their way to the floor. Joining him was former San Diego mayor and police chief Jerry Sanders. Sanders said, when he started in law enforcement, it was rare to find a gun on a suspect. By the end of his tenure, police would have enough guns, after every weekend, to fill a shopping cart.
