Community Corner

Your Take: Do You Favor Universal Background Checks?


This article was reported and written by Senior Regional Editor Elissa Bass. 

On Wednesday it appeared that the U.S. Senate might be moving toward an agreement on expanding background checks for many firearm purchases. 

The Washington Post reported that the plan unveiled by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), "would extend the current background check requirement from covering only sales at licensed dealerships to any sale that takes place at a gun show or that was advertised in print or online. However, checks would not be required for many sales between private individuals — a loophole that many gun-control advocates had hoped would be closed." 

The Post reported that "It won praise from advocates of stiffer restrictions, including President Obama ... (but) NRA opposed the plan." 

What's your take? Do you think this plan is a good idea? Do you favor background checks that apply to every gun sale, including private sales? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here