Thursday, May 23, 2013

Yes, A Bi-Partisan Gun Bill

Bipartisan Bill on Gun Control...Really???
Congressman Bill Foster cosponsors H.R.1565
Everyday I meet someone new and somewhere in our conversation gun control pops up. And, I think this is because it is a frightening, very realistic problem in our society. I do not care where you live there is some form of crime involving a gun. Now I may make some enemies along the way here, but I believe there needs to be some type of control on the purchase of a gun. The two parties need to come to a place where this issue can become a bipartisan issue. So they can work together to make it safer for the young and old to feel free to walk the streets, parents feel safe to send their children to school, for young adults to feel secure in attending class. I follow-up every day to see any progress in this matter. Today I came across this article in the Trib Local that Congressman Bill Foster, Community Contributor, became a cosponsor of  H.R. 1565. I think as you read this you might agree this is a start and very necessary.
Rep. Foster Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen Background Checks, Protect Rights Of Lawful Gun Owners
By Rep. Bill Foster, Community Contributor
10:19 a.m. CDT, May 15, 2013
Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) became a cosponsor of H.R. 1565, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013. The bipartisan legislation, a mirror of the Manchin-Toomey bill which received a majority of votes in the Senate (but failed to get 60), would strengthen background checks for gun purchases by expanding the system to include all commercial firearm sales, blocking criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from lawfully  purchasing firearms.  The legislation also strengthens the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners by banning the government from creating a federal registry and making the misuse of records a felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“We cannot simply sit idle while tragedy after tragedy demonstrates all too clearly that we are not doing enough to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” said Foster. “We need to take a comprehensive approach to this problem that protects the rights of lawful gun owners while keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill.”
Currently, there are many loopholes allowing anyone to purchase firearms without a background check, including buying firearms in the parking lot of a gun show, over the internet, or through a newspaper ad. The bill closes these loopholes by requiring the same background checks that federally licensed dealers have conducted for more than 40 years.
Posted by S. Gresak

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