Bill boosting gun background checks suddenly in sight with Trump’s support

The White House said Monday that Trump is “supportive” of efforts to improve the federal background system for guns, and that he talked Friday with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, about his proposal.

A spokesman for Cornyn told the Washington Examiner Monday that, “it’s clear the president is interested in getting something done.”

The brief statement adds significant momentum to a bill that already had bipartisan support, and that has already been passed by the House.

Importantly, it’s also a bill that has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association and the New York Times.

Cornyn’s bill is the Fix NICS Act, a reference to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The bill, also sponsored by Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, would penalize federal agencies that fail to send relevant criminal history to the NICS system.

Cornyn proposed it after last year’s Texas church shooting, after the Air Force admitted it failed to send information to NICS about the shooter, former servicemember Devin Kelley, that might have blocked him from buying a weapon.

The bill seems to be even more relevant after last week’s shooting at a Florida high school, after which the FBI admitted protocol wasn’t followed after receiving tips that the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was threatening violent actions.

The bill would also use a carrot and stick approach to get state agencies to report information to NICS. It would provide grants to boost reporting efforts, and would publish the agencies that fail in their duties.

“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,” Cornyn said in November when his bill was released.

The bill has clear support in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are behind it, which gives it a clear path to passage in the Senate, where it is still being considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

It has 17 Republican cosponsors and 17 Democratic cosposnors, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also supports it.

A committee spokesperson did not return a request for comment Monday on whether the committee would move it along now that the White House has indicated support.

The only real question is whether the House and Senate can agree on a single version of the bill.

The House in December passed similar language to Cornyn’s bill, but it did so as part of a larger bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines if they have a license from their home state.

Many Democrats tried to separate the two bills last month, but failed. The combined bill passed 231-198, a sign there is at least the possibility of getting the bill to Trump’s desk soon.

Still, the key hurdle in Congress will likely be that push and pull between Republicans and Democrats about whether to add to Cornyn’s idea, and what to add. While Republicans passed it in the House by broadening concealed carry authority, Democrats have long made it clear that Cornyn’s bill is just a start, and that they will want to push hard in the other direction.

“It’s no secret that I believe much more needs to be done,” said Sen. Murphy, who has pushed for tougher gun control measures since the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“But this bill will make sure that thousands of dangerous people are prevented from buying guns,” he said. “It represents the strongest update to the background checks system in a decade, and provides the foundation for more compromise in the future.”

Murphy also tweeted Monday morning to say that Cornyn’s bill isn’t enough.