Gov. John Bel Edwards is backing stronger background checks for gun purchases and a ban on “bump stocks,” which turn semi-automatic guns into automatic weapons, in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 people last week.
“I really believe we ought to look at the background check system,” Edwards said during his radio show Wednesday, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune reports.
Edwards also said he anticipates state lawmakers will draw up legislation to make gun laws more restrictive ahead of the regular legislative session starting next month. Legislators are currently in a special session dedicated to solving the state’s “fiscal cliff.” He did not say what those proposals would be or whether he would support them, the website reports.
But the governor did say the background check system should be tightened to prevent people with mental illnesses or criminal histories from obtaining firearms, and those put on “no fly” lists as suspected terrorists should not be able to obtain guns.
Edwards, a rare deep south Democrat, is generally supportive of gun rights and pitched himself as a pro-Second Amendment candidate when running for governor.
