Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy says closing loopholes in the background check system for gun purchasers won't threaten firearms owners' Second Amendment rights to own a gun, and is a matter of common sense.
As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Democrat is overseeing hearings on curbing guns. In a prepared statement, Leahy says that after the killing of elementary school students and staffers in Newtown, Conn., it is time to stop sloganeering and partisan recriminations on the issue.
Leahy says the background check system needs strengthening. By law, anyone buying a gun from a licensed dealer must have a background check, with convicted criminals and people with mental problems barred from purchases. Gun buyers at gun shows and online don't need the check.
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