Iowa Senator Charles Grassley cast a committee vote in opposition to the Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act today on Capitol Hill. The bill passed out of the Judiciary Committee along party lines and criminalizes all private firearms transfers, otherwise known as universal background checks. Grassley indicated in a statement today that the legislation was rushed and lacked bipartisanship.
“The first point I want to make goes to process. When this bill was first listed on the Committee agenda to be marked up, it was just a list of findings. It was not ready to be marked up. The language has changed. It is still not ready to be marked up. But we are marking it up anyway. We were told there was such widespread support for universal background checks that a bipartisan bill would be on its inevitable way to passage. Instead, three of the four senators involved in those discussions do not endorse this bill. The bill is somewhat similar to a bill Senator Schumer introduced in the previous Congress. So let’s start with the big picture problems,” Grassley said. “And this bill would eliminate private sales. Talk about unintended consequences.”
As has been pointed out by many pro-gun advocates already, Grassley reiterated that universal background checks cannot be enforced without universal gun registration and eventually gun confiscation.
Read more: Townhall.com
