During the March 28, 2021, airing of NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Chris Murphy (D) outlined additional gun control that could be considered once universal background checks are in place.
His comments came after host Chuck Todd asked if it is a “political impossibility” to secure regulation of certain categories of firearms at this time.
Murphy responded, “I think right now, our best chance to get something passed is universal background checks. And I think that the theory of the case is once we can convince Republicans that the sky doesn’t fall for you politically when you support a reasonable expansion of something like background checks, you can move on to other interventions.”
Murphy then described what some of the “other interventions” might entail, lauding the gun owner permitting system in Connecticut as well as the broadening of factors that will land an individual on the prohibited purchasers’ list.
Eight days after the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas attack, Murphy pushed universal background check legislation, referring to it as the “North Star” for Democrats, regarding gun control.
Ironically, the Las Vegas attacker passed background checks for firearms, so universal background checks would have done nothing to hinder, much less prevent, that attack.
Equally ironic, the March 22, 2021, Boulder, Colorado, attacker acquired his gun via a background check as well.
Moreover, Colorado already has universal background checks. Breitbart News noted Colorado adopted the universal checks in 2013.