Toomey Says Bipartisan Gun Bill Made ‘Modest Steps' in Right Direction

The Pennsylvania Republican senator who pushed for background checks on commercial sales for years, now says doing any more work on guns would probably take “presidential leadership” from a Republican president. 

Senator Pat Toomey, who is retiring from the Senate after 18 years in Congress, said in an interview looking back at his time in office that the bipartisan gun bill that passed this summer made some “modest steps in the right direction,” but was skeptical about the potential for more action in the current climate. 

“I think the bill that passed this summer is probably all that’s likely to be doable in the current political environment,” Toomey said. 

The bill that passed included grants to states for “red flag laws” and juvenile records in background checks for purchasers age 18 to 20.

It did not include a requirement for background checks on all commercial sales, which Toomey has long advocated for, proposing a bill with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin that did not become law. 

Toomey also talked about what he sees as the necessary next steps for Congress when it comes to cryptocurrency, saying Congress should provide a legal framework for regulating crypto activity. 

“I think the underlying technology is powerful and we ought to be encouraging development in the U.S.,” Toomey said. “To do that we should have well-defined guardrails, we should specify which regulators have regulatory authority over which parts of this and how far can they go - that all should be laid out.” 

Watch Part 1 of our interview with Senator Toomey here

Watch Part 2 of our interview with Senator Toomey here

Watch Part 3 of our interview with Senator Toomey here