Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) voted against legislation to expand background checks on gun sales in 2013, but in light of recent events, he appears to be changing his mind.
Speaking to reporters in the halls of the Senate on Thursday, Graham said, “I don’t know how you get around the idea that a man who was adjudicated mentally ill was denied a gun purchase when he went to a gun store, wound up buying a gun from a man who sells guns on the side, and there’s no background check.”
Graham simply replied, “Yes,” when reporters asked him if he “believes his position on Manchin-Toomey will change” because of that example, Breitbart reported.
Graham also supports so-called state “red flag” laws that would allow authorities to confiscate guns from someone who has been deemed “dangerous” to themselves or others.
Manchin-Toomey bill
The current Manchin-Toomey bill is an updated version of a failed 2013 bill put forward by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), with an assist from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). The bill would expand background check requirements to include gun show and internet sales.
President Donald Trump spoke at length on the topic with all three senators on Wednesday, Politico reported.
While Trump hasn’t committed to signing the bill if passed, he signaled an openness to consider it, the senators said.
Many Republicans in Congress — especially Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — have made it clear that they won’t move on any gun control bills until they know whether or not the president will sign it.
Reporters pressed Trump on Thursday about where he stood on the background check bill. “It depends on if Democrats want to take your guns away,” Trump said. “If this is a movement by the Democrats to take your guns away, it’s never going to happen.”
Narrow scope
Though details remain sparse, by all accounts the current iteration of the Manchin-Toomey bill is not quite as far-reaching as the 2013 version that failed. It includes more exemptions for private sales without mandatory checks between family and friends and most likely wouldn’t be classified as the sort of “universal” background check legislation that Democrats have long demanded.
Instead, it is reportedly more narrowly tailored toward strengthening the existing background check system by filling in purported “loopholes” and by ensuring states fully report criminal and mental health records to the system (even for juveniles). The bill would also strengthen penalties for lying on forms or “straw purchases” for prohibited individuals.
It remains to be seen what the final draft of the current Manchin-Toomey bill will look like and whether the president will support it or not. But Republicans like Graham now appear more willing to vote in favor of expanding the current background check system.
359 Responses
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?
Im not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. Cheers
Hey, thanks for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
Really enjoyed this article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.
Hi! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My blog discusses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa? My website goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Wonderful blog by the way!
Great blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Im grateful for the blog.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. Its pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
I really like and appreciate your post.Much thanks again.
you’re really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterwork. you have done a excellent job on this topic!
Major thanks for the article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
Hey, thanks for the blog.Thanks Again.
Very good article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
Really appreciate you sharing this article post.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I really liked your blog post.Really thank you! Want more.
A big thank you for your article.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
Thanks again for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.
I really enjoy the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
Very informative article post.Really looking forward to read more.
I value the article post.Thanks Again. Great.
I really enjoy the post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
I am so grateful for your blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.
A big thank you for your article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I cannot thank you enough for the blog article.Really thank you! Great.
Great article.Much thanks again. Really Great.
Thanks so much for the article.Really thank you! Really Great.
Hey, thanks for the post.Really thank you! Really Great.
Appreciate you sharing, great blog.Really thank you! Really Great.
Thanks so much for the blog article. Really Cool.
Hey, thanks for the article.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
Major thankies for the article. Much obliged.
Really appreciate you sharing this post.Much thanks again. Will read on…
Enjoyed every bit of your blog article.Really thank you! Great.
I really liked your article. Great.
Hey, thanks for the article.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
Really informative post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
Looking forward to reading more. Great post.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
I am so grateful for your blog.Much thanks again. Much obliged.
Major thankies for the post.Really thank you! Great.