During an interview on CNN on Monday, Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) was asked 11 times by host Chris Cuomo to cite a single reason he’s opposed to universal background checks for gun purchases or transfers.
Taylor struggled do it, but insisted he’s opposed to them anyway.
“What I am in favor of is a stronger background check, one that takes into account social media, other things potentially,” Taylor said. “I don’t know exactly how that looks like, but I’m willing to listen to all sides to figure out how we make it stronger to make sure folks that should not get guns don’t get them.”
Cuomo pressed Taylor on the point.
“But what about all sales? All sales is a pretty simple way to put it,” he said.
Taylor responded by alluding to vague concerns he has that mandating background checks for all sales or transfers would pose problems for fathers who want to give guns to their sons. When Cuomo pointed out that nobody complains about having to do paperwork if they want to transfer ownership of a boat to their children, Taylor — who received $3,500 from the National Rifle Association during the 2016 election cycle — resorted to insisting that enforcement of a new background check law would be impossible.
“You find ways to enforce laws, lots of laws are difficult to enforce, you find a way,” Cuomo replied. “Why would you only have certain sales affected by background checks? I don’t get why that’s a good thing. You said, ‘well, it’s hard to enforce’ — that’s not a standard of whether or not you put a law in place. You put the law in place then you figure out how to enforce it.”
After that point, Taylor could come up with nothing beyond repeatedly insisting that he’s opposed to more background checks now because he’s been opposed to them the past.
“I’m not supportive of universal background checks — I’m not supportive of it Chris,” Taylor said. “I’m not supportive of it.”
“Why?” Cuomo asked.
“I don’t agree with universal background checks — I don’t agree with it, I haven’t supported it,” Taylor reiterated. “I don’t support universal background checks — I don’t support you coming and me having to have a sale if I’m — paperwork and stuff like that — if I’m giving my gun to my son. I don’t agree with gun registration — I don’t agree with it.”
Cuomo ended the interview by telling Taylor, “I don’t understand why if you care about monitoring who gets weapons and access to them, you wouldn’t cover all sales. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Taylor replied by saying, “Again Chris, you know, you and I disagree, and that’s fine. We can have diversity of opinion and rigorous debate, and that’s what elections are for.”