On Feb. 13, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee favorably reported HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, by a vote of 23-15. The AMA-supported bill would implement near-universal background checks for the purchase of firearms, effectively closing loopholes that allow sales at gun shows or through online sales to evade the current requirement that applies to federally licensed firearms dealers.

Polling shows overwhelming public support for this requirement, including among gun owners. It is one step that can help keep firearms out of the hands of those who are not legally entitled to possess them. The bill is expected to be considered on the House floor in the coming weeks along with another measure, HR 1112, which would extend the time the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has to complete a background check before a dealer may deliver the firearm to the purchaser. While HR 8 is expected to pass in the House, its fate in the Senate is less certain.

The 129th Maine Legislature also will consider several bills on gun violence and the MMA is very much involved in this advocacy along with the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Maine Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Maine Chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Maine Coalition Against Gun Violence. The MMA membership passed a resolution at the 2018 Annual Session directing the MMA to step up its long-standing advocacy in favor of legislation to address gun violence.