The sponsors of the bill are Republican Senators Pat Toomey and Marco Rubio as well as Democratic Senators Bill Nelson and Chris Coons. They believe that anyone who lies and tries to purchase a firearm “can be a warning sign for criminal behavior.”
A common sense way to reduce gun violence
In a statement, the senators noted that 37 states and the District of Columbia depend on the FBI to run some or all of their background checks. Generally, state authorities are not aware when prohibited persons fail background checks.
According to Sen. Toomey, “We can make progress on gun safety while respecting the Second Amendment rights of American citizens.” He believes that they can do that through better enforcement of existing gun laws and responding to warning signs.
Sen. Coons said lawmakers need to work together and find ways to reduce gun violence. He described the NICS Denial Notification Act as a “modest and common sense” approach.
On the other hand, Sen. Rubio stressed that the Florida school shooting happened because of multi-systemic failures. According to him, the legislation will not only require federal authorities flag background check denials for state authorities. It will also hold federal officials accountable. He is confident the legislation is a strong step forward to prevent tragedies in the future.
