I am pleased that the House will finally consider legislation to make reforms to our background check system for firearm purchases. Now, Mr. Speaker, the word ``reform'' can either be a noun or a verb. As a noun, reform means a change for the better, improving a situation without revolutionary change, a moral improvement. But I am afraid, Mr. Speaker, that in this instance, the reform we are about to vote upon is a verb, where it simply means to form again or to become formed again. Americans are demanding a background check system that is a change for the better and is not riddled with loopholes. They demand a system that protects the rights of law-abiding Americans while preventing dangerous individuals from obtaining weapons. They demand a system where, to purchase a gun, you must pass a background check. Unfortunately, the bill before us, crafted by the NRA, will not deliver this to the American people. One of the fundamental loopholes in the Brady bill, which requires background checks for most purchases, is that, if the sale is not approved after 3 days, a firearm dealer can make the sale anyway, even though the background check is still pending. Tragically, this loophole has been given a new name and nine new faces following the attack at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. Prior to that fateful day, the Charleston shooter was arrested in Columbia, South Carolina, on March 1, 2015, and charged with a felony drug offense.…
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