Bloomberg Misleads on Gun Background Checks During Fox News Town Hall
By Stephen Gutowski
Washington Free Beacon
March 2nd. 2020
Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg incorrectly asserted Monday that background checks are not required to be performed on gun sales done at gun shows or over the internet.
At a Fox News town hall, Bloomberg falsely claimed gun stores are required to perform background checks on sales done at their physical premises but sales conducted elsewhere were exempt from background check requirements.
"You cannot buy a gun in a gun store where they won't do a background check. And all they do is look for those three categories—if you're a minor, if you have psychiatric problems, or if you have a criminal record," Bloomberg said. "The law does not apply to guns sold over the internet or in gun shows."
Federally licensed gun dealers are required by federal law to conduct background checks on gun sales, regardless of where they take place. Under federal law, non-licensed individuals are not required to conduct background checks on intrastate gun sales between one another.
There is no special exception in federal law for sales made at gun stores or over the internet. Some states require background checks on non-licensed sales as well, and gun-control advocates want a federal law requiring the same.