WASHINGTON — The new federal law passed in response to a series of mass shootings includes provisions to better incorporate juvenile records into the federal background check system, but states vary greatly in the way they approach access to guns and the background checks themselves.
As states navigate the new law, they will face pressure from critics who view gun-related scrutinizing of juvenile records as unfairly penalizing people for youthful mistakes.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was the chief Republican in the bipartisan Senate gun negotiations that arose after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos committed the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
