Mast Reverses Position On Firearm Background Checks, Denounces H.. 8

Today, the House voted on H.R.8, a bill that Florida Rep. Brian Mast (R) calls “a political game” that both Republicans and Democrats like to play on Washington. The new bill is alleged to “force private businesses to facilitate expanded gun control restrictions” and “jeopardize the privacy of gun owners" and infringement on the 2^nd amendment rights that Americans have. In turn, expressing his disapproval of the bill, he admitted that the bill passed.

In a statement, Mast expressed that “since Congress last voted on background check legislation, the far-left has attempted to undermine the 2^nd Amendment and intimidate law abiding gun owners out of exercising their Constitutional right.”

Though Mast supported expanded background checks in 2018 after the inclusion of safeguards were included that would prohibit the Attorney General from allegedly abusing the legislation to “implement sweeping new gun control regulations,” the Florida lawmaker is denouncing this bill.

“Caving to this pressure from the far-left, the bill that House Democrats passed today is very different from background checks legislation I have supported in the past," said Rep. Mast.

In a video posted on Facebook, Mast explained that the bill provides “an unprecedented amount of power to the Attorney General. For example, under this bill, the Attorney General could force private businesses to participate with the Federal Government and implement additional gun control restrictions regardless of what those private businesses see fit for themselves.”

Mast added that “changes to this legislation have subverted the original purpose of the bill and dramatically expanded the unelected DC bureaucrats to unilaterally implement new gun control measures.”

One provision that was removed would have required gun sellers to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if the individual buying the weapon was in the U.S. illegally, and it’s a provision that Rep. Mast supported.

"H.R. 8 is a Trojan Horse," state Rep. John Rutherford (R) "On the outside, it's a background check bill, but on the inside, it's a gun registration bill."