Pat Toomey: 'My Worry Is The President Is Heading Down The Wrong Path'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey said that he does not trust that President Obama's executive actions expanding background checks on gun sales will be be constitutional or protect the Second Amendment.
Toomey, speaking with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, is concerned that the President will go too far in enacting restrictions on gun sales.
"Most of the details, we don't know and my worry is that the President is heading down the path that is just the wrong process here. We have a constitutional system for a very, very good reason. It requires a consensus before you enact significant legislation and that's the way the founders intended it. Presidents don't get to write laws unilaterally. This President, of course, as we know, has repeatedly done that and I'm worried about whether that's what this approach is going to be. As I said, we haven't seen most of the language yet."
He explained that he is open to the idea of expanding background checks but enacting any new law is the job of Congress.
"I still think that we ought to have a background check on commercial gun sales but I think that has be done through Congress...Whether that's on a large scale at a gun show or whether it's internet based. In Pennsylvania, we already have this with respect to all hand guns. That Pennsylvania law, in fact, goes further than what my proposal with [West Virginia Senator Joe] Manchin does, with respect to hand guns because the Pennsylvania law doesn't include an exception for background for an individual transfer. It's universal background checks. If you want to sell a hand gun to your wife, you have to go through a licensed firearms dealer and have a background check done under Pennsylvania law. With respect to hand guns, I think that goes a little to far to require it on private sales like that, so my approach is commercial sales, large scale, gun shows or internet based."
Toomey also took the time to criticize the White House again regarding the Iranian nuclear deal, claiming that the Iranians are not living up to their end of the pact.
"The Iranians are in serial violation of the agreement now. The agreement, for instance, required a UN resolution banning the testing of ballistic missiles. That's not even disputable, right? Well, what has Iran done? Since the agreement was announced, they've launched two ballistic missiles. Nuclear warhead capable precision guided missiles. In flagrant violation of this agreement. How about the fact that no one in Iran has signed this agreement and they have no intention of signing it. It has not been ratified by the Iranian parliament. We're expected to believe that they intend to comply with this?"
