Historic numbers of background checks to purchase or possess a firearm were done in June, a trend in a year marked by uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, a subsequent economic recession, protests over racial injustice and calls to reduce police funding. FBI numbers released Wednesday show that 3.9 million background...
Judge Tosses California Ammunition Purchase Law
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge on Thursday blocked a California law requiring background checks for people buying ammunition, issuing a sharply worded rebuke of “onerous and convoluted” regulations that violate the constitutional right to bear arms. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego ruled in favor of the California...
Gun Background Checks Smash Records Amid Coronavirus Fears
Background checks required to buy firearms have spiked to record numbers in the past month, fueled by a run on guns from Americans worried about their safety during the coronavirus crisis. According to figures from the FBI, 3.7 million background checks were done in March — the most for a...
Fresno Mass Shooting: Costa Calls for Passage of Gun Safety Bills
Rep. Jim Costa reacted to a mass shooting in Fresno that left four people dead and six others injured Sunday evening by offering his support to law enforcement and renewing a call for passage of bipartisan gun safety legislation. “It saddens me once again, to hear of another mass shooting,...
Trump Says Gun Negotiations Going 'Very Slowly'
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday poured cold water on prospects for a bipartisan compromise on gun legislation, even as Attorney General William Barr circulated a draft plan on Capitol Hill to expand background checks for gun sales. In a Fox News interview that aired Thursday, Trump said no...
Rep. Costa: When Will McConnell, Trump Protect Americans?
Rep. Jim Costa took to Twitter to express his outrage Monday over the U.S. Senate's and President Trump's refusals to adopt meaningful gun violence legislation. Costa's remarks followed mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed 31 people and wounded more than 50. "When...
The Myths and Truths About Chicago's Guns and Murder Rate
CHICAGO — Chicago police are wrestling with gun violence, blamed largely on gangs. President Donald Trump has frequently singled out the city for criticism, calling the crime problem "a total disaster" and claiming Chicago has the strongest guns laws in the nation and still hasn't been able to curb violence. But...
Democrats Vow Action on Gun Control After Calif. Shooting
WASHINGTON — Newly ascendant Democrats are promising congressional action on gun control amid a rash of mass shootings, including a late-night assault at a California bar that killed 12 people. Measures including expanded background checks and a ban on assault-style weapons are likely to reach the House floor when Democrats...