A group of House Democrats is backing a measure to delay sales of semi-automatic firearms, suppressors, armor piercing ammo and large capacity magazines.
Introduced by Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, H.R. 4268 would mandate that both licensed dealers and individuals wait seven days after buying targeted guns, ammunition and accessories before transferring the item. The Houston-area Congresswoman debuted the bill two days after the shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas that claimed the lives of over 20 people.
“We cannot afford another angry person in possession of military-style weapons, nor can we bear the consequences of another person consumed by hatred wielding firepower intended to inflict maximum carnage,” Jackson Lee said in a statement. “The blood that has been shed in America runs deep with too many lives lost and too many families shattered.”
The proposed measure, dubbed the Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2017, revisits the concept of a national waiting period on firearms, which has not been seen in the country in two decades. The original Brady Act, adopted in 1993, contained the provision for a five-day waiting period on handguns though it was replaced after 1998 with an instant computerized background check system and a three-day “default to proceed” guideline on delayed checks.
by Chris Eger
