UPDATE 1-U.S. House panel plans action on gun background check bill next week
"It's finally time for action in Congress," Nadler said. "This bill will close the loopholes that have allowed felons, domestic violence abusers and other prohibited persons to purchase guns through private sales." The bill would require background checks for all firearm sales and most firearm transfers. The legislation would likely pass the Democratic-controlled House. But there are no signs that it would succeed in the Republican-led Senate.
Nadler's announcement came a day after the House Judiciary Committee held the first congressional hearing on gun violence in years and heard testimony from witnesses including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who voiced support for the legislation. Gun violence represents an epidemic that claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 Americans in 2017. Of those deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in December that 60 percent were self-inflicted.
The U.S. Constitution protects the right of Americans to bear arms. The measure is fiercely defended by Republicans. At Wednesday's House hearing, Republican lawmakers warned that the new legislation could lead to a national gun registry and asserted that expanded background checks would penalize law abiding citizens but not protect people from gun crime. (Reporting by David Morgan Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Tom Brown)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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