TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Gun control is a very hot topic across the U.S. and right here in Tucson.
A bill requiring universal background checks on all gun sales goes before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee this week.
Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake is on that committee.
Gun control advocates held rallies Tuesday at Flake's Tucson and Phoenix offices.
In Tucson several gun control organizations joined forces to urge him to support the universal background check bill.
In a statement after the rally his Washington D.C. office said Flake does not support universal background checks.
Among the speakers at the rally in Tucson, some of the survivors of the Tucson shooting.
Senator Flake's office is just a few blocks south from where the shootings happened.
People at the rally carried pictures of victims of the Tucson and Sandy Hook, Connecticut, shootings.
On the podium was a sign with a quote from former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded in the Tucson massacre.
It read, "As Gabby said, we must act now," meaning act to pass legislation proponents say will reduce gun violence.
The groups are starting with universal background checks on all gun sales.
They also support a ban on assault weapons and a ban on high-capacity magazines.
They say 40 percent of gun sales do not require background checks right now, and they want to change that.
Mary Reed was shot three times on January 8, 2011, in Tucson as she used her own body to shield her daughter.
"I believe that with 33 people shot every single day and only 60 percent of our legal gun sales going through background checks, that too many people that should not have firearms have guns. I am a gun owner. It is not a difficult thing to go through a background check, and it's relatively quick. I think that anyone who would like to exercise their Second Amendment rights has an absolute, absolute right to do that. However, if you're prohibited from owning guns, you shouldn't have them." Reed said.
Bob Wenrick says he is a Life NRA member and has been a member for 50 years.
"I think most NRA members are reasonable people that understand that there's no infringement on the Second Amendment rights. I support the Second Amendment. It doesn't say anything about background checks. All we are trying to do is keep weapons out of the hands of criminals or people that intend to do somebody else harm," Wenrick said.
"It's one thing if the bill goes to the senate floor. It's another to show our non-partisan unity and if he (Flake) votes yes in committee, it sends a powerful message to the senate--this is for all of us, that we're united," said John Keepers, spokesperson for Community Against Gun Violence and a volunteer with Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Also in attendance at the rally, the president of the Gun Owners of Arizona, who said he was there as an observer.
Ken Rineer said he is against universal background checks, and would rather have current laws enforced.
Rineer said Congress should not have the power to tell people what they can do with their property.
"That if you want to buy something that I no longer want--a firearm that I no longer want--that we should have to take it to a licensed dealer downtown, pay a $40 or $80 fee or whatever that individual wants to charge to be able to transfer a firearm," said Rineer.
He added, "What that really means is every firearm transfer--even that one between grandfather and grandchildren must go through a federally licensed firearms dealer and the grandchild would have to have a background check--conducted on him, and it's a severe intrusion into our private lives."
Here is the complete text of the statement Senator Flake's office sent to KOLD News 13:
"While he opposes universal background checks, Senator Flake believes in broader background checks like making sure mental health records are more efficiently integrated into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. He's working on legislation to strengthen the reporting process of mental health records so that those who shouldn't have access to guns are barred from purchasing them."
We also asked the National Rifle Association for a comment.
An NRA spokesperson emailed:
"The NRA has long supported background checks on retail sales to ensure criminals and the mentally ill with violent tendencies do not have access to firearms. Despite the promises of politicians, the National Instant Check System is currently incomplete, inefficient, and is filled with inaccurate data. Gun control proponents are wasting time advocating a significant expansion of this system that has gaping inadequacies. The NRA is committed to a conversation about improving the quality of information contained in NICS, along with improving school safety and increasing criminal prosecutions."
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