Colorado congressman introduces bill to close gun-buying loophole exposed by Sol Pais incident

A Colorado congressman wants to adjacent the loophole successful the national weapon inheritance cheque strategy that allowed 18-year-old Sol Pais successful 2019 to acquisition a shotgun successful Littleton, prompting panic and schoolhouse closures due to the fact that authorities feared her obsession with the 1999 Columbine shooting would punctual her to perpetrate akin violence.

The measure introduced Wednesday by Rep. Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat, would update the National Instant Criminal Background Check System truthful that it checks imaginable weapon buyers’ eligibility successful their location states arsenic good arsenic their eligibility successful the authorities wherever they are purchasing the gun. Pais was eligible to acquisition the shotgun successful Colorado but would not beryllium eligible for the aforesaid acquisition successful her location authorities of Florida, which bans weapon income to anyone nether property 21.

The Secure Background Checks Act would adhd state-level property requirements to the national inheritance cheque truthful that underage would-be weapon buyers can’t simply question to different authorities to bargain a weapon they are prohibited from buying successful their location state.

“We person a weapon unit epidemic successful our state today, and taking steps to forestall it is perfectly essential,” Neguse said successful a quality release. “By making this elemental fix, we anticipation to amended the national inheritance cheque strategy and support firearms retired of the hands of folks who the instrumentality says shouldn’t person them.”

Neguse’s measure is the legislative effect to problems identified successful a U.S. Department of Justice report connected the Sol Pais incidental released past month. The probe recovered that the store that sold Pais her weapon did not double-check laws successful Pais’s location authorities and that determination is nary failsafe erstwhile a weapon seller makes specified an error.

Neguse and 5 different Colorado congressmen requested the probe aft the Pais incidental successful April 2019.

Pais traveled to Colorado connected April 15, 2019 — 5 days earlier the 20th day of the Columbine High School shooting — connected a one-way level summons and purchased the shotgun astatine Colorado Gun Broker. After an extended hunt for the girl, instrumentality enforcement found her assemblage 2 days aft her arrival adjacent a way connected Mount Evans. Authorities judge she died by termination connected the time she arrived successful Colorado.

Neguse’s measure is co-sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter, an Arvada Democrat, arsenic good arsenic 3 different Democratic lawmakers. The measure has the enactment of much than a twelve weapon unit prevention organizations, according to Neguse’s office.

“This common-sense measure closes a elemental one: if you’re excessively young to acquisition a weapon successful your location state, a national inheritance cheque should drawback that and assistance enforce those laws,” Shannon Watts, laminitis of Moms Demand Action, said successful a quality release.