Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Chris Murphy’s (D. CT) re-election campaign:
In just a moment, I am going to ask you to take action on a bipartisan piece of legislation I introduced a few months ago that will help fix our background check system. It's a bill that actually has a chance right now, but only if we apply maximum pressure.
It's called The Fix NICS Act, and here's what it will do:
My bill, introduced with four Democrats and four Republican co-sponsors, would make it much more likely for states and federal agencies to upload information about people who are supposed to be barred from purchasing firearms into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
This is a big deal, because the existing background check system is broken. But I do want to be clear here, while this is the most important piece of bipartisan gun legislation since Manchin-Toomey, no one should pretend this bill alone is an adequate response to this epidemic.
Even if this passes, we still have a long way to go.
But this bill will make a big difference.
We know, for example, that until recently, the Department of Defense was not uploading data into the system, but states aren't doing their part either.
Over the course of 2016, my state of Connecticut uploaded 363,000 felony records onto the NICS system. In the same year, Colorado uploaded 10. New York uploaded 57,000 domestic violence records, North Carolina just 261.
The Fix NICS Act will improve this system dramatically. It will prevent more criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill from getting their hands on guns. But if it's going to pass, we have to make our voices heard.
Sign my petition: Tell Congress to pass my Fix NICS Act -- legislation that will dramatically improve our background check system and prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from purchasing firearms.
We all remember how Congress was supposed to close the Terror Gap after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Or how we were going to ban bump stocks after the Las Vegas shooting.
This bill may have bipartisan support in Congress, but Senators and Representatives need to know it has yours as well.
Sign my petition -- say you support my Fix NICS Act.
http://action.chrismurphy.com/fix_nics
Let's fix the background check system. We can do this. And I appreciate you making your voice heard.
Every best wish,
Chris Murphy