A good number of gunmen that were involved in recent mass shootings acquired their firearms illegally. Some of them were able to buy their guns from gun shows and from sellers online. If these gunmen tried to get their firearms from a licensed dealer, they might have been blocked from getting them in the first place once their background check disqualified them. The entire universal background check argument has now returned once again to Congress, with the House Judiciary Committee now looking at a new bill called the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, that would require background checks for all private sales, including those on gun shows and through online stores.

Advocates of the new bill, which is basically an updated version of previously submitted universal background check bills, says that the new legislation should completely cut out the source of most of the firearms used by criminals. However, those who oppose the bill argue that the entire notion is ineffective and will not prevent further gun violence in the country.

The federal law that requires background checks done through the FBI’s Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for firearm purchases only currently applies to federally licensed dealers, such as sporting goods stores, gun stores, and other legitimate establishments. Unfortunately, the same law does not really apply to private sellers, online sellers, and sellers at gun shows. Buyers with criminal records or past arrests can prevent their records from disqualifying them by purchasing their weapons from these sources.

According to Everytown For Gun Safety, an advocacy group for stricter gun control laws, websites such as Armslist.com make it very easy for criminals to locate a nearby seller that does not require any types of checks. The group revealed that over 1.2 million ads were posted last year, and none of these ads had required buyers to go through background checks. Representatives of the website fired back at the criticism and pointed out that they are simply helping individuals talk about their “vital civil rights.”

For the past two decades, Democrats have been trying to pass an expanded background check law that would cover private sales and online sales. This time around, Democrats may be closer to fulfilling that dream with a majority vote in the House. However, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 is still facing a lot of opposition from gun rights advocates. It also still needs to have a majority vote in the Senate, which may be harder to achieve.