Conservative commentator Mica Mosbacher said that “common sense gun laws” could help with some of the lapses in the federal background check system.
Mosbacher said that, while she is a member of National Rifle Association (NRA) and fully supports Second Amendment rights, she acknowledged that there’s a “huge problem” with the vetting system in America.
“I have to say because I belong to the NRA, obviously I’m against any infringement on the second amendment rights,” Mosbacher told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“However, there is a huge problem in our vetting system,” she continued.
Mosbacher, a former co-chairman of the Republican National Committee’s finance team, added this is an area where “common sense gun laws could help,” arguing that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is “overloaded.”
The conservative commentator also noted a disconnect among states when it comes to gun laws, citing the 2017 shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival as just one example.
Shooter Stephen Paddock opened fire on thousands of of concert-goers in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding nearly 500 people. Authorities later discovered that Paddock had amassed 47 guns of varying size, many of which were outfitted with bump stocks.
“There again was a disconnect among states and they failed to pick up that he was purchasing guns,” she told Hill.TV.
Mosbacher made these comments in response to a panel discussion about a clash between Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and the father of a Parkland shooting victim at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Gaetz called for Manuel Oliver to be removed from a hearing after he protested the Republican’s lawmakers comments on gun violence. Gaetz said that illegal immigration — not guns — is a major factor the behind the rise in gun violence in America over the past two decades.
But Mosbacher didn’t agree with the way the Republican lawmaker handled the situation, saying he could have been more sensitive to the father given that he was personally impacted by the issue.
“Obviously, that’s a violation of the rules in terms of standing up and protesting, however I think Matt Gaetz could have been much more sensitive with this topic, it is a hot button issue, especially those who’ve lost loved ones in the shootings,” she told Hill.TV.
Wednesday’s hearing came almost a year after a gunman opened fire at a high school in Parkland, killing 17 people.
—Tess Bonn
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