Trump To Brief House Republicans On Legislation To Limit Mass Shootings - McCarthy

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2019) House Republicans will meet with President Donald Trump later on Tuesday to discuss proposals to close a loophole which reportedly allowed a mass shooter to buy the gun used to kill 7 people in Odessa, Texas, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters.

"This president has sat down, trying to find what is the best way to make sure these [mass shootings] are never duplicated again," McCarthy said on Tuesday. "And I think that is what he'll discuss today, getting all the facts before us, where we can produce legislation."

The August 31 shooting in Odessa that killed seven put the so-called gun show loophole in focus because background checks are required at gun stores, but not gun shows.

McCarthy pointed to bipartisan support for gun law changes in response to specific incidents in the past.

For example, the Trump administration banned bump stocks - devices that convert a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun - following an October 2017 shooting that killed 58 people at a concert in Las Vegas.

He also cited reforms of the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NIC) system following the November 2017 shooting that killed 26 people at a Texas church. Here the shooter was able to pass a background check because the Air Force failed to report the shooter's criminal history to the FBI.

Republicans are traditionally wary of gun control legislation, citing the Second Amendment to the US Constitution which endorses private gun ownership.