The National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun rights advocates
are assailing Democrats for a controversial legislative proposal that
they say would restrict access to handguns.
People would be
required to obtain a license before purchasing some firearms under the
Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act, which was introduced Thursday by
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and a trio of Connecticut lawmakers.
The
legislation also seeks to expand background checks to all handgun sales
and block people under the age of 21 from purchasing those firearms.
States could refuse to implement the handgun regulations, but would risk losing federal funding for doing so.
Though
the legislation stands virtually no chance of passing the Republican
Congress, the NRA expressed outrage at the proposal, calling it an
attempt by Democrats to “delay and deny” gun purchases.
“They
cannot ban guns because of the Constitution, so they want to make it
so difficult for law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional
right to self-protection,” said NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker.
"Someone should send them a copy of the Constitution — specifically, a copy of the Second Amendment,” she added.
The Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act would zero in on handgun purchases, but exempt rifles and other types of firearms.
It
is backed by a study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and
Research that found handgun licenses dramatically reduce homicide rates.
“Of
the thousands of Americans murdered every single year by firearms,
nearly 90 percent of those deaths occur with a handgun,” Van Hollen
said. “With mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends dying every
day because of guns, there is no question that gun violence is tearing
at the fabric of our communities."
In addition to Van Hollen, who
is running for the Senate, three Connecticut Democrats back the handgun
bill: Rep. Elizabeth Esty, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Chris
Murphy. Connecticut was the site of the Sandy Hook elementary school
massacre in 2012.
Their bill would provide states with an
incentive to strengthen their guns laws. States that follow through with
the handgun regulations would receive federal funding to carry them
out, while those that refused would risk losing money.
To qualify,
states would have to implement laws that require prospective gun owners
to apply for a firearms license from a local police station. They would
be required to pass a background check, including submitting
fingerprints and photographs.
Those who pass the background check would receive a firearms license that they must provide to purchase a handgun.
The
Democrats say the handgun bill would help law enforcement officials
weed out criminals and other people who are not allowed to purchase
guns.
But Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for
Gun Rights, called it a "blatant attempt to fingerprint every
law-abiding gun owner in the country like a common criminal."
"Since
they support licensing for exercising Second Amendment freedoms, do
they also support licensing of newspaper columns, political speeches and
sermons?” asked Larry Pratt, executive director of the Gun Owners of
America.
The lawmakers called it a gun safety solution.
“States
require licenses to drive a car or even to fish in local rivers, so
requiring a license to buy a deadly handgun is a commonsense step that
could save countless lives,” Van Hollen said.
"Requiring a license to purchase a deadly weapon is at least as important as requiring one to drive a car,” Blumenthal said.
But gun rights advocates warned the proposal would effectively create a national gun registry.
"Driving
a car and fishing are not constitutionally-protected rights,” Baker
responded. “The Second Amendment protects our individual right to own a
gun."
"One does not need the permission of the government in order
to exercise a fundamental constitutional right,” added Larry Keane,
senior vice president at the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The
bill is just the latest attempt by gun control advocates in Congress to
close a background check loophole they say makes it easier for
criminals to purchase guns.
Even though most gun owners go through
lengthy background checks before purchasing a firearm from a licensed
dealer, these same requirements do not always apply when buying guns
online or at gun shows.
Gun safety advocates say toughening the rules would reduce gun violence around the country.
"It
shows the tremendous opportunity we have to prevent gun deaths and make
all of us safer just by keeping guns out of the wrong hands through
good policy like expanded background checks,” said Dan Gross, president
of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
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