The chairman of the National Rifle Association-funded National School Shield Task Force on Sunday shrugged off traditional talking points used by pro-gun lobbyists and insisted that requiring background checks at gun shows "would seem appropriate."
Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday asked Asa Hutchinson if he could support background checks for all commercial sales, including closing loopholes on Internet and gun show sales.
"From my view, if you go to a gun show and you buy a firearm from a licensed dealer and you have the background check you also go out to somebody's vehicle and you get a firearm there and you purchase it and you don't have the check, there's some inconsistency there," Hutchinson explained. "And certainly from my personal standpoint, that's a fair debate. And again, Americans would like to see that."
"You're saying you would support expanding the background check to include non-dealer sales gun shows and also, for instance, sales on the Internet?" Wallace pressed.
"I can't speak to all of those because it's all in the fine print," Hutchinson replied. "You have to look at the language. I would look certainly at the gun shows and the sales that surround that in that environment. If we can make sure there's a comprehensive check and we keep criminals from obtaining guns in that environment then those checks would seem appropriate."
As late as last month, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said that his organization opposed background checks at gun because they were a "dishonest premise" that only acted as a "speed bump for the law abiding."
