And I also understand that they come from states that are strongly pro-gun. I know all of them were shocked by tragedies like Newtown. And I talked to several of these senators over the past few weeks, and they’re all good people. But that didn’t matter.Īnd unfortunately, this pattern of spreading untruths about this legislation served a purpose, because those lies upset an intense minority of gun owners, and that in turn intimidated a lot of senators. Plain and simple, right there in the text. This legislation, in fact, outlawed any registry. ![]() They claimed that it would create some sort of “big brother” gun registry, even though the bill did the opposite. That’s why 90 percent of the American people supported it.īut instead of supporting this compromise, the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill. It represented moderation and common sense. So while this compromise didn’t contain everything I wanted or everything that these families wanted, it did represent progress. The current leader of the NRA used to support these background checks. In fact, even the NRA used to support expanded background checks. And she supports these background checks. And Gabby Giffords, by the way, is both - she’s a gun owner and a victim of gun violence. Their legislation showed respect for gun owners, and it showed respect for the victims of gun violence. So 60 percent of guns are already purchased through a background check system this would have covered a lot of the guns that are currently outside that system. All it did was extend the same background check rules that already apply to guns purchased from a dealer to guns purchased at gun shows or over the Internet. That was not easy given their traditional strong support for Second Amendment rights.Īs they said, nobody could honestly claim that the package they put together infringed on our Second Amendment rights. And I want to thank Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey for their courage in doing that. We had a Democrat and a Republican -– both gun owners, both fierce defenders of our Second Amendment, with “A” grades from the NRA - come together and worked together to write a common-sense compromise on background checks. I’m going to speak plainly and honestly about what’s happened here because the American people are trying to figure out how can something have 90 percent support and yet not happen. But by this continuing distortion of Senate rules, a minority was able to block it from moving forward. ![]() But it’s not going to happen because 90 percent of Republicans in the Senate just voted against that idea.Ī majority of senators voted “yes” to protecting more of our citizens with smarter background checks. ![]() Most Americans think that’s already the law.Īnd a few minutes ago, 90 percent of Democrats in the Senate just voted for that idea. ![]() Ninety percent of Americans support that idea. We’re talking about convicted felons, people convicted of domestic violence, people with a severe mental illness. They blocked common-sense gun reforms even while these families looked on from the Senate gallery.īy now, it’s well known that 90 percent of the American people support universal background checks that make it harder for a dangerous person to buy a gun. And a few minutes ago, a minority in the United States Senate decided it wasn’t worth it. THE PRESIDENT: A few months ago, in response to too many tragedies - including the shootings of a United States Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords, who’s here today, and the murder of 20 innocent schoolchildren and their teachers –- this country took up the cause of protecting more of our people from gun violence.įamilies that know unspeakable grief summoned the courage to petition their elected leaders –- not just to honor the memory of their children, but to protect the lives of all our children. Follow provided by the White House Press Office
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