Great news:
Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., said Tuesday he supports universal background checks for gun purchases, including at gun shows.
Donnelly and Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., are among senators in 13 states targeted by TV ads being run by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The ads, which were to begin airing Tuesday in Indiana, urge viewers to tell their members of Congress to vote in favor of legislation requiring background checks.
“I am supportive of background checks,” Donnelly told local media after a business roundtable discussion at the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. “I want to make sure that people with, say, a felony or dealing with mental illness cannot get their hands on weapons that can cause so much destruction. And so we’re trying to put together a piece of legislation that will reflect that.”
That includes background checks at gun shows.
This should not have been a tough call, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because 89 percent of Indiana voters support background checks at gun shows, while solid majorities also favor banning high capacity magazines and even support requiring gun registration. In other words, this should be but the start. But it's a good start, and a popular start. And along with North Carolina's Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, that makes two supposedly wavering Democrats from states that are not very friendly to Democrats who in the past two days have announced support for this sensible proposal. Because this shouldn't be a partisan issue. It's the right thing to do for public safety, and the public supports it.