Chain reply from Turn-Coat Toomey

[norb5150]

Thank you for contacting me about national firearms policy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
Like many Pennsylvanians, I have long been a supporter of the Second Amendment. Americans have an individual right to bear arms for self-protection, hunting, and recreation. During my time in the Senate, I have consistently defended Second Amendment rights. For instance, I have voted against a proposal to ban certain semi-automatic pistols and shotguns.
That said, I also believe that firearms should be used responsibly and safely. People who use guns in an illegal manner or harm others with them should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Firearms should be kept out of the hands of terrorists, convicted criminals, and the dangerously mentally ill.
Since the recent tragic massacres in Parkland, FL, Sutherland Springs, TX, and Las Vegas, NV there have been renewed calls for Congress to take action to confront gun violence. I believe that Congress can and should take steps to address this issue.
First, the Air Force's failure to report Sutherland Springs, TX shooter's criminal record to the FBI is deeply troubling and unacceptable. We must ensure that the federal agencies and states are reporting relevant records to the procedures to NICS to help prevent future tragedies from occurring. To that end, I was a cosponsor of the bipartisan Fix NICS Act, which was supported by the National Rifle Association and passed both chambers of Congress on March 23, 2018. This new law will help to ensure that federal and state authorities comply with existing requirements to report criminal and other records to NICS. Among its provisions, the bill penalizes federal agencies that fail to comply with reporting requirements and incentivizes states to improve their overall reporting.
Secondly, we should take steps to improve and expand criminal background checks. Towards that end, on multiple occasions since 2013, I joined Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) in introducing a bipartisan amendment regarding national firearm policy. Our amendment would have encouraged states to submit court records to NICS and would have expanded the federal background check requirement for gun sales to apply to sales at gun shows and sales over the Internet. Such common sense measures are already the law in Pennsylvania. Our amendment also provided law abiding citizens with expanded opportunities to exercise their Second Amendment rights, including measures to help veterans regain their Second Amendment rights and to allow individuals to purchase firearms across state lines.
Thirdly, we should take additional steps to assist states with enforcing existing laws against individuals who attempt to purchase firearms but are legally prohibited from doing so, such as convicted felons. Individuals who are willing to "lie and try" to buy a gun may be dangerous and willing to obtain guns through other means. These attempted purchases often violate federal and state laws. Unfortunately, the federal government rarely prosecutes any of these individuals. In addition, state authorities in the 37 states and the District of Columbia rely on the FBI to run some or all of their background checks and are generally not aware when prohibited persons fail background checks run by the FBI.
This is why, on March 5, 2018, I introduced the bipartisan NICS Denial Notification Act (S. 2492) with Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Bill Nelson (D-FL). Our legislation requires the FBI to notify state law enforcement within 24 hours when a person who is prohibited from getting a gun lies about their background in an attempt to buy one. S. 2492 provides state law enforcement with critical intelligence that they can use to try to keep their communities safe.
We must work together to forge a bipartisan consensus on gun safety, rather than talk past one another with partisan rhetoric. In my view, keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists, convicted criminals, and the dangerously mentally ill is not gun control, but a common sense public safety measure that is fully consistent with my strong support of Second Amendment rights. I remain committed to working with my Senate colleagues to find sensible, bipartisan solutions to address gun safety.
Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,


Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

[Yoder]

The up side is he didn't propose a ban. It was actually better than I expected from him.

[GOYABEAN]

He probably really wanted to add but don't forget because of the actions of criminals thugs terrorists and the irresponsible few your rights don't matter ! So we must pass new gun law's to combat these activities and punish the innocent as well

[coppery]

Really surprised he did not mention anything about "assault weapons', or even "rate of fire increasing devices". Grain of salt for sure.

[RockIsland]

Really surprised he did not mention anything about "assault weapons', or even "rate of fire increasing devices". Grain of salt for sure.

He's not really anti-gun besides having a hard on for background checks. It doesn't really make much sense.

[jerryg]

I cannot get an answer out of him on when they will vote on National Handgun reciprocity.

[STBear]

Two-faced Toomey is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment (sarc) That's what he always says. Then goes on about "common sense gun control" and "bipartisanshit". All he wants to do is get reelected. He'll try to cater to everyone. What the hell is wrong with the Republicans. When the Demorats are in power it is their way or the highway. When the Repubics are in power it's all about bipartisanshit from both sides. They don't have the balls to stick together and pass what the people want. They just want to pander to everyone to try and stay in power. It's a shame when voting you have no one worth voting for and the choice you end up with either voting for the lesser of two evils or not voting. Gos save America.

[Coops]

Here is a reply I got from Marco Rubio for comparison.

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts regarding the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Understanding your views helps me better represent Florida in the United States Senate, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As you know, on February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the lives of 14 students and 3 faculty members were senselessly taken. As a Floridian and father of 4, my heart breaks for the victims’ families, friends and loved ones.

The tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was the result of multiple system failures, and requires a multi-faceted approach to prevent future mass shootings. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to create a more effective system to prevent gun violence.

Our schools are woefully unprepared to prevent an attack before it occurs. By the fall of 2016, both school officials and law enforcement knew the Parkland shooter posed a serious danger, yet nothing happened to stop him from buying a rifle. Currently, there are insufficient programs in place to report dangerous individuals, like the Parkland shooter, and to coordinate between law enforcement, school officials, and mental health experts. This is why I am an original cosponsor of the STOP School Violence Act (S. 2495), which was introduced on March 5, 2018. This bill will strengthen school security, provide training to identify threats, and create crisis intervention teams that coordinate law enforcement and school personnel to identify students who may pose a violent threat and intervene to stop them before they act. I am pleased the House of Representatives passed a similar bill (H.R. 4909) on March 14, 2018 by a vote 407-10. It passed the Senate as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 on March 23, 2018, which President Trump signed into law that same day.

On March 22, 2018, I introduced the ABCs in School Discipline Act (S. 2618) to help protect our schools by preventing federal funds from being used to establish school discipline policies that discourage reporting dangerous student behavior to law enforcement. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

In addition, I am a cosponsor of the School Safety and Mental Health Services Improvement Act (S. 2513), which enables schools to use federal funds to improve their physical security, and training of personnel to better identify and respond to school related violence. The bill would also prevent schools from adopting policies that discourage faculty from reporting violent or threatening behavior of students to law enforcement. S. 2513 was introduced on March 7, 2018 and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

There are other common sense measures that can prevent shootings in the future. The Fix NICS Act improves the background check system and ensures that individuals who should not be able to purchase or possess a firearm are not improperly passing background checks due to lack of information in the background check system. This helps ensure that firearms stay out of the hands of individuals with a history of violence or mental illness. I am also a cosponsor of this legislation. The bill was introduced on November 11, 2017, and passed the House on March 22, 2018, and the Senate on March 23, 2018 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (H.R. 1625), which President Trump signed into law that same day.

I am also a cosponsor of the NICS Denial Notification Act (S. 2492). This bill would reinforce the background check system by requiring the federal government to notify states when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm but fails to pass a background check. This action would strengthen communication between federal and state law enforcement and increase prosecutions of these individuals. This bill was introduced on March 5, 2018, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. A House companion bill (H.R. 4471) was introduced on November 28, 2017 and has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Another unfortunate lesson that has been learned is the fact that we lack tools for law enforcement or families to take away guns from someone in their community they know is a danger to themselves or others. I am working to change this by incentivizing states to enact extreme violence protection orders, or sometimes referred to as “red flag laws.” Under my proposed law, the Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act (S. 2607), introduced in the Senate on March 22, 2018, grants would go to states that enact policies that seek to empower families or law enforcement to prevent dangerous individuals from purchasing or possessing firearms, with due process protections. This is modeled after Florida’s recently enacted risk protection order law. Florida became the sixth state to enact such laws, with hopefully more to follow. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

The tragic day of February 14, 2018 will continue to bring us great sorrow. Like many of the parents, students and teachers that I have met with since that day, I am turning that sorrow into actions that can get accomplished. I am committed to working with my Senate colleagues to implement common sense measures that will prevent such a tragedy from happening again, without unnecessarily infringing on the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your United States Senator. I will keep your thoughts in mind as I consider these issues and continue working to ensure America remains a safe and prosperous nation.

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

[GeneCC]

In my view, keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists,

Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

Sounds like he still wants to add the "No Fly List" as a disqualifier. We need to get rid of the No Fly List, not expand its uses.

Nobody would want a CONVICTED Terrorist to have firearms. Being on the No Fly List is not proof that someone is a terrorist.

So much for Due Process, huh, Pat?