South Florida

South Florida Congresswoman Introduces Bill Requiring Background Check on Gun Ammunition Purposes

What to Know

  • Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she introduced the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2018.
  • The congresswoman, who attend the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, says her bill would require instant background checks.

A South Florida leader in Congress is looking to push for a law that would close a loophole they hope will prevent future mass shootings like the one that took place inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.

Flanked by students from the school who attended rallies across the area and Washington D.C. on Saturday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she introduced the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2018.

“Unlike firearms purchases, someone who wants to go into a store that sells ammunition can buy as much as they want without being asked their first name,” the Weston Democrat said Monday during a press conference at the Pembroke Pines Police Department, where she was joined by the city’s Mayor, Frank Ortis.

The congresswoman, who attend the March for Our Lives rally in Washington this weekend, says her bill would require instant background checks for anyone looking to buy ammunition – using the same FBI national database system used for firearms purchases.

“This is just such a gaping, grave and dangerous loophole that I could not wrap my mind around when I was told that that was the case,” she said.

Wasserman Schultz said she was inspired by the movement organized by teenagers at the Parkland school as well as wanting safety measures for her own child, who is a high school student.

The legislation is sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut

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