Real movement: Joe Manchin, NRA darling, comes out for universal background checks

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/24/real-movement-joe-manchin-nra-darling-comes-out-for-universal-background-checks/


Real movement: Joe Manchin, NRA darling, comes out for universal background checks

Posted by Greg Sargent on January 24, 2013 at 1:04 pm

I reported earlier today that Senator Joe Manchin’s office won’t say whether he is open to legislative action to achieve universal background checks. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that Manchin — who has a sterling “gun rights” reputation and an “A” rating from the NRA — is not only open to them, he’s already working on a proposal to make it happen.

Manchin voiced his support for universal background checks (with narrow exceptions) this morning in an interview with a West Virginia radio station. This represents real movement in the right direction. On Metro News radio’s Talkline, Manchin said he wasn’t ready to support the assault weapons ban, but then had this exchange with his interviewer:

snip//

This is a significant step forward. For one thing, Manchin explicitly endorsed new legislative action to achieve background checks on pretty much anyone who wants to get a gun, with narrow exceptions. He also endorsed closing the gun show loophole. Given Manchin’s “gun rights” credibility, this should give cover to all of the other red states Democrats who are skittish about embracing this common sense step. It’s hard to see why they’d hold out against supporting this, now that Manchin has made it politically safer.

Manchin’s claim that he is discussing this with the NRA is also interesting. It dovetails with recent comments by Dem Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a staunch gun control advocate, who said private talks with the NRA had indicated an openness to give ground on background checks, with exceptions similar to those described by Manchin. Coming from Manchin, of course, this is far more significant.

To repeat this one more time, commentators and news orgs are prematurely writing the obituary for Obama’s gun package based solely on the fact that the assault weapons ban faces an uphill struggle in Congress. It undoubtedly does. But the assault ban is not the centerpiece of Obama’s proposal; improving the background check system is. If Obama gets just the latter and some other provisions — minus the assault ban — it is still a major achievement. We now have Manchin on board, and even Republicans like GOP Rep. Phil Gingrey and Senator Chuck Grassley have signaled openness to it. It wouldn’t be surprising if we saw more movement in the days ahead.

[hack89]

1. Supporting universal background checks is a relatively safe move for pro-gun Dems

I think you will see others do the same as an alternative to supporting the AWB.

[nick of time]

2. I fully support for background checks on ALL firearms purchase's.

I firmly believe that another AWB will never get through the Senate much less the House.
There are several other measures I fully support, better mental health services, better reporting by the states to NICS, ban on hi cap mags, to name a few.

[robinlynne]

3. with what exceptions?

[Lizzie Poppet]

4. A lot of gun owners support background checks on all transfers.

I'm one of them.

[Recursion]

5. Who said the AWB doesn't do any good?

If it forces more conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans to this position, then it will have done a lot of good.

[derby378]

6. I used to oppose universal background checks, but I'm warming up to the idea

As long as a provision is made for true private sellers to help them comply with the NICS check at gun shows, we can work this out.

The flip side is that there has to be more policing of the gatekeepers behind the background check. What happened at Virginia Tech happened because the gunman's mental health counselor withheld key medical documents from the background check process that could have prevented the assassin from obtaining guns in the first place.