House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged President Trump to include a House-backed universal background check bill in a proposal he will introduce to combat gun violence.
The Democratic leaders offered to appear in the Rose Garden with him if he agrees to sign it into law.
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Pelosi and Schumer did not pitch the House bill as a requirement, but rather argued any proposal without it would fall short in a phone call with the president on Sunday.
“This morning, we made it clear to the president that any proposal he endorses that does not include the House-passed universal background checks legislation will not get the job done, as dangerous loopholes will still exist and people who shouldn’t have guns will still have access,” Pelosi and Schumer said Sunday.
Trump is expected as soon as this week to pitch a proposal to reduce gun violence. Trump has expressed interest in measures to expand background checks and incentivize states to incorporate “red flag” laws that utilize extreme risk protection orders to authorize law enforcement to seize guns from dangerous individuals.
Trump is also eyeing improvements to the nation’s background check system which has, in several instances, failed to block gun purchases from shooters who should have been flagged.
The top Democrats told Trump that red flag laws alone would not be enough and that the House-passed background check bill should become law.
“Someone prohibited from possessing a gun under an Extreme Risk Protection Order law could still obtain a firearm by exploiting the gun show and online loopholes that H.R. 8 would close. We know that to save as many lives as possible, the Senate must pass this bill and the president must sign it,“ they said.
The House bill passed with support from only a handful of GOP lawmakers.
It expands background check requirements for all gun purchases and transfers with narrow exceptions for immediate family and bans sales from non-licensed dealers.
The GOP-led Senate is likely to consider a more moderate background check bill by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin that limits the background check requirement to commercial sales.
