Thompson to Conduct Hearing on Background Checks for Gun Sales

Napa Valley congressman Mike Thompson, acting as chair of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, will conduct a hearing Friday on the need for background checks for gun sales.

The hearing, in Washington, D.C., will be at 1 p.m. EST, or 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

The hearing will be live streamed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/repthompson.

Thompson, D-St. Helena, said that the proposed background check legislation would be to ensure that persons prohibited from owning firearms are not able to purchase them.

Those include criminals and the dangerously mentally ill, he said.

A background check requirement that respects reasonable exceptions for cases such as transfers between family members and temporary loans for sporting purposes was one of the 15 principles outlined by the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Thompson said.

Panelists at the hearing will include:

Ms. Carol Gaxiola, Arizona mother of gun violence victim

Dr. Daniel Webster, Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research, Johns

Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Mr. Joseph Bielevicz, Detective, Pittsburg Bureau of Police

Mr. Art Acevedo, Chief of Police, Austin Police Department

Mr. Joe Deaser, Owner, Capital Gun Club, Roseville, California

Mr. Jesse Ogas, Colorado hunter, sportsman, gun owner and former NRA Member

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