Senator Pat Toomey joined the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania in 2011 on a platform of economic and job growth, restoring fiscal responsibility, and creating stronger, safer communities.
Sought out by his colleagues for his views on financial reform and budgetary issues, Senator Toomey was labeled by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "a leading voice on money matters."
During his time in the Senate, Senator Toomey has successfully led efforts to cut taxes for families, make our business tax code more competitive, end wasteful federal spending, and protect children from abusers.
We can make progress on gun safety while still fully respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. It is reasonable to make it as difficult as possible for terrorists, the dangerously mentally ill, and violent criminals to obtain firearms. We can do better by immediately addressing three shortfalls in our current system.
First, we must strengthen our background check system with legislation that I introduced with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) several years ago. Much like Pennsylvania law, it would require background checks for all commercial sales, including sales at gun shows or over the Internet that are not currently subject to background checks.
We must also address the fact that people who are on the No Fly List are still able to purchase a firearm. I have introduced legislation with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) so terrorists cannot purchase firearms. If you have been deemed too dangerous to board an airplane, you should not be able to purchase a gun.
Finally, we need to make sure we're enforcing existing gun laws. I've introduced a bill with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) that directs the FBI to notify state law enforcement when a person who's prohibited from getting a gun lies about their criminal background in an attempt to buy one. That is a felony - and it goes almost entirely unprosecuted today.