WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Pete King (R-NY) announced that a coalition of nine law enforcement organizations have endorsed House Bill 1565, the King-Thompson bipartisan compromise to expand the current background check system to all commercial firearm sales.
“Our law enforcement officials know firsthand the dangers of criminals, terrorist and the dangerously mentally ill getting guns, and they understand background checks are the first line of defense against firearms falling into the wrong hands.
“We will not give up on a bill that makes our law enforcement officials” jobs easier and our streets safer. It should be passed and signed into law,” Thompson and King stated.
The nine law enforcement organizations endorsing the legislation are the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP), the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCC), the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the Police Foundation (PF). Collectively, the nine organizations make up the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence (NLEPPGV).
In a letter to Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, chair of the NLEPPGV and Baltimore County Chief Jim Johnson wrote, “[b]ackground checks for firearm purchasers are highly effective in keeping guns from those too dangerous to possess them We urge you to support this important legislation, and if you have not done so already, we ask that you add your name as a cosponsor to this bill that we in law enforcement know will save lives.”
The bipartisan King-Thompson legislation is identical to the bipartisan agreement on background checks struck by senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA). More than 175 House members have cosponsored the bill.
The legislation expands the existing background check system to cover all commercial firearm sales, including those at gun shows, over the Internet or in classified ads.
Right now, a person can buy a firearm at a table or out of someone”s trunk at a gun show, over the Internet, or through a newspaper ad because no background check is required for these kinds of sales.
Last year, the background check system identified and denied more than 88,000 sales to criminals, domestic abusers, those with serious mental illnesses and other prohibited purchasers. However, those same prohibited purchasers could buy those guns at a gun show or over the Internet. More than 40 percent of gun sales are conducted without a background check. The King-Thompson bill expands the current background check system to prevent these types of sales. Under the bill, background checks will continue to be conducted through a licensed dealer in the same manner as they have for more than 40 years.
The legislation bans the government from creating a federal registry and makes the misuse of records a felony, punishable by as much as 15 years in prison. It provides exceptions for family and friend transfers, and allows active military personnel to buy guns in the state they are stationed. It lets gun owners use a state concealed carry permit issued within the last five years in lieu of a background check and permits interstate handgun sales from licensed dealers.
The bill also gives states incentives to improve the reporting of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill within the National Instant Check System (NCIS) and directs future grant funds toward new record-sharing systems. The bill will also reduce federal funds to states that do not comply.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee on Veterans” Affairs.
