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House Passes Gun Bill in Response to Virginia Tech Shooting
Nobody in the United States can buy a gun until he or she passes a background check. The National Background check system was created to keep convicted criminals and mentally ill people from getting a gun. But the system had problems. Not every state was sharing its list of people who shouldn't buy guns with the Federal Government.
That's why Cho Seung-hui, the shooter at Virginia Tech, was able to buy the guns he used in last April's killings. Cho's name was on mental health records in Virginia. If those records had been shared with the National Background Check System, he wouldn't have been able to buy guns.
Now a new bill passed in the House of Representatives makes States share their lists automatically. Both the National Rifle Association and Democrats in Congress support the bill. It's unusual for those two groups to work together. But it seems that everyone agrees that the system of background checks needs to be improved.
Now the bill moves on to the Senate. If it passes there too and the president signs it, it'll become a new law in the fight against gun violence.
I'm Ben and that's what happened in our nation this week!
What's your opinion about gun control? Let me know in my Call Out!
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