{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=01693298-08A5-4DA9-9BC8-BC1F610DE5E7", "NRA and Law Enforcement Groups Support Hatch Efforts to Protect Legal Gun Ownership by Fixing Background Check System", "2017-11-17", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Orrin Hatch", "H000338", "www.hatch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "SALT LAKE CITY \u2013This week Senator Orrin Hatch, R-UT, the senior Republican in the United States Senate, co-sponsored the bipartisan Fix NICS Act, legislation addressing critical holes in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. While the legislation does not expand background checks or infringe on any law-abiding American\u2019s legal right to own firearms, it works to prevent criminals like Devin Patrick Kelley, the shooter in the recent Sutherland Springs Tragedy, from taking advantage of holes in the background check system to obtain firearms.\r\nThe Fix NICS Act has received endorsements from the National Rifle Association of America, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the National Sheriffs Association.\r\nNRA: \u201cWe applaud this effort to ensure that the records of prohibited individuals are entered into NICS, while providing a relief valve for those who are wrongly included in the system.\u201d (Executive Director Chris Cox, National Rifle Association of America, 11/16/17)\r\nNational Coalition Against Domestic Violence: \u201cThe Fix NICS Act is a demonstration of Congressional unity, bringing together not only legislators from both sides of the aisle but also taking meaningful action supported by a diverse cross-section of individuals and organizations.\u201d (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/16/17)\r\nFraternal Order of Police: \u201cTragically, recent events have showed us that Federal agencies and State governments have too often failed to upload all relevant information to the NICS, allowing the illegal sale of a firearm.\u00a0 This bill will address this issue in a comprehensive way.\u201d (Fraternal Order of Police, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/16/17)\r\nNational Domestic Violence Hotline: \u201cThis bill will help save the lives of victims of domestic violence and the communities in which they live and worship, by ensuring that domestic violence records are entered properly and consistently into the background check system.\u201d (CEO Katie Ray Jones, National Domestic Violence Hotline, 11/16/17)\r\nNational Shooting Sports Foundation: \u201cThis legislation will fix NICS so that background checks are accurate and reliable.\u201d (National Shooting Sports Foundation, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/15/17)\r\nNational Network to End Domestic Violence: \u201cYour bipartisan bill would help to avert future tragedies\u2026 This legislation will save lives by keeping firearms out of the hands of people with a history of domestic abuse.\u201d National Network to End Domestic Violence, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/16/17)\r\nNational Sheriff\u2019s Association: \u201cThis legislation is a bold step to ensure federal laws are adhered to and upheld.\u201d (Jonathan Thompson, National Sheriffs Association, 11/17/2017)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=01693298-08A5-4DA9-9BC8-BC1F610DE5E7"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8301887903362513, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}