Trump may veto gun control bills aimed at expanding background checks
The White House this week suggested President Trump could veto two pieces of companion gun control legislation if approved by Congress – as one of the measures passed in the House on Wednesday.
In a statement, the White House said the pair of bills violated Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, or H.R. 8 – a bill that would require a background check for every firearm purchase (even private transfers) – is “incompatible” with the “guarantee of an individual right to keep arms,” the White House said. Lawmakers approved this legislation in a vote on Wednesday.
H.R. 1112 aims to require a gun dealer to wait 10 business days to receive an answer from the background check system before proceeding with a sale. The White House said this measure would “unduly impose burdensome delays on individuals seeking to purchase a firearm.” This bill is expected to be voted on later this week.
“If H.R. 8, or H.R. 1112, are presented to the President, his advisors would recommend he veto the bill,” the White House concluded.
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Even if both measures are passed in the House, they will need to be approved in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.
Meanwhile, a federal judge gave Trump the green light to proceed with a ban on so-called bump stocks on Monday, after critics pursued a preliminary injunction. The president issued the ban in December, which applies to an attachment that allows semiautomatic rifles to fire more rapidly.