Cornyn in Sutherland Springs: We need to fix broken background check system

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Sunday called for a stronger gun background check system after attending a service at the site of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

“We need to fix this broken background check system,” Cornyn told reporters. 

{mosads}The Republican senator’s comments come after he announced on Tuesday that he would introduce a bill designed to strengthen the gun background check system in the U.S. after the identified shooter’s previous court-martial conviction was not entered into the FBI database, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). 

The Air Force revealed on Monday that the Holloman Air Force Base Office of Special Investigation did not enter the shooter’s information into the system, allowing him to purchase firearms. 

The legislation would ensure all federal departments and agencies upload the required conviction records into the national database. 

Cornyn said he will be introducing the legislation soon, potentially as early as Monday. 

“My hope is that we can expedite consideration of this, get it into law, and then make sure that this sort of thing never happens again,” the senator said. 

“This individual should not have been able to legally purchase a firearm. We have a background check system, which is designed to weed out people with mental illness, people who are convicted felons, people who are child and spouse abusers, and this individual was all of those things,” he continued. 

“He lied on his background check, and the FBI background check system failed, the so called NICS system failed.”

Twenty-six people were killed last Sunday when Devin Kelley opened fire at the First Baptist Church. Kelley committed suicide before he could be apprehended, officials said.