Santarsiero takes action on PA background check loophole

Earlier today, Rep. Steve Santarsiero held a press conference with Senator Vince Hughes, law enforcement, CeaseFirePA, and other gun safety activists to announce a renewed effort to expand background checks to make Pennsylvania families safer. He will reintroduce House Bill 1010, legislation that he crafted and introduced in 2013 in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

"We cannot wait for Congress to act while 90 Americans a day lose their lives to guns," said Santarsiero. "A clear majority of Americans, Pennsylvanians and even gun owners support universal background checks. We must stand together to take on the gun lobby and enact commonsense gun safety measures."

H.B. 1010 would close a loophole that allows private, non-licensed sellers to sell long-barrel guns, including assault rifles, without conducting a background check on the buyer. Santarsiero's legislation would close this loophole by requiring all sales and transfers (except familial transfers) to undergo a background check, including sales by non-licensed private sellers.

While Rep. Santarsiero is championing gun safety in Harrisburg, he is also running for Congress in Pennsylvania's 8th District so that he can continue advocating for commonsense gun safety legislation and the values important to the working families of Bucks and Montgomery Counties.

Representative Scott Petri, one of Santarsiero's colleagues and likely Republican opponent for the 8th Congressional District, voted against the bill in 2014 when Santarsiero offered it as an amendment, helping the NRA and gun manufacturers halt Santarsiero's commonsense legislation. Rep. Petri has been a fierce ally of the gun lobby, including voting to allow the NRA to sue local governments for enacting gun safety measures. Petri voted against legislation requiring gun owners to report a lost or stolen weapon to law enforcement, and received a B rating from the National Rifle Association in 2011.

Source