Obama calls for universal background checks on firearms

Obama is asking Congress to implement mandatory background checks for all gun purchases, including private sales; reinstate a ban on some assault-style weapons; ban high-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds; and crackdown on illicit weapons trafficking. He wants Congress to expand background checks on gun buyers to include private sales and is using his executive authority to increase the information available in data banks in the background check system, highlighting background checks as the most efficient and effective way to keep guns away from dangerous individuals. By closing loopholes that permit private gun transactions to occur without background checks, Obama believes that he can curb gun violence and mass murders, like the tragedy we saw in Connecticut just last month. The White House says nearly 40 percent of gun sales are conducted by private individuals now exempt from checking the backgrounds of buyers. Obama is also ordering federal agencies to make ‘‘relevant data’’ available to the federal background check system and to remove barriers that might prevent states from providing information, particularly mental health data, for background checks.]]>