PA Bill Number: HR541
Title: Recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Description: A Resolution recognizing the month of October 2024 as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
Last Action: Reported as committed
Last Action Date: Oct 1, 2024
After Church Shooting, Senators Create Law to Enforce Law Already on Books :: 11/19/2017
In the aftermath of the Sutherland Springs church massacre in Texas, it was discovered that the shooter had a history of mental issues and domestic violence which should have prevented him from being able to legally purchase the firearm he used to commit his slaughter.
Unfortunately, the Air Force neglected to enter the killer into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, as is already required by law.
Of course, like after most mass shootings, there swiftly arose cries that Congress must “Do Something!” so a bipartisan group of senators have obliged, according to The Hill.
Chiefly sponsored by Republican Senators John Cornyn from Texas and Tim Scott from South Carolina, as well as Democrat Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy from Connecticut, a measure has been put forward to strengthen background checks — in essence, a new law enforcing an older law that is already in existence.
The measure would compel states and federal agencies to produce a plan specifying how they will do a better job of ensuring that individuals prohibited by law from purchasing a firearm — such as those convicted of a felony, domestic violence, or have been adjudicated as mentally ill — are promptly entered into the NICS background check system.
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NBC News noted that the bill, dubbed the “Fix NICS Act,” would offer incentives such as federal grants to states for their compliance, since the government can’t actually force their compliance.
Federal agencies, on the other hand, can be forced to comply with the measure and will suffer consequences for failing to do so, such as the withholding of bonuses for political appointees.
“For years agencies and states haven’t complied with the law, failing to upload these critical records without consequence,” Sen. Cornyn said in a statement on Thursday.
“Just one record that’s not properly reported can lead to tragedy, as the country saw last week in Sutherland Springs, Texas,” he added. “This bill aims to help fix what’s become a nationwide, systemic problem so we can better prevent criminals and domestic abusers from obtaining firearms.”
Co-sponsor Sen. Murphy agreed, and stated, “This deal will strengthen the background check system and save lives. Our bill marks an important milestone that shows real compromise can be made on the issue of guns.”
“It’s no secret that I believe much more needs to be done,” added Murphy, according to The Washington Times. “But this bill will make sure that thousands of dangerous people are prevented from buying guns.”
It most certainly is not a secret that Murphy, as well as his fellow Connecticut senator Blumenthal, has been clamoring for stricter gun control laws since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.
Senators Cornyn and Scott most likely agreed to participate in this bill due to the fact that both of their states witnessed horrific mass shootings inside of a church. In the case of the Charleston mass murder in 2015, just like in Texas, that shooter was also an individual who should have been prohibited from purchasing a firearm, but was never entered into the NICS system.
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It is worth noting that this bill is incredibly narrowly tailored and, as stated, does little more than create a new law to help enforce an already existing law.
That said, if Congress is going to “Do Something!” for the sake of doing something in the wake of a mass shooting, strengthening enforcement of pre-existing laws is the best way to go, far better than the drafting of entirely new and utterly ridiculous laws that will never be implemented or could never be enforced, such as a renewed “assault weapons ban” or “universal background checks.”
Please share this on Facebook and Twitter so everyone can see how Congress is attempting to show that they are doing something through largely symbolic legislation.
What do you think of this new law to help enforce an already existing law?
https://conservativetribune.com/senators-create-law-already-books/
