JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Congress is considering a requirement for universal background checks for anyone buying a gun.
Supporters say it could help prevent the next mass shooting. Action News found out just how easy is it for someone with a shady background to buy a gun with no questions asked.
A five-minute phone call, a simple handshake, a few hundred dollars cash and you've got yourself a Ruger Mini-14 rifle. It's that easy with a private sale where background checks aren't always required.
New York City investigators made undercover videos to show how easy it is for guns to end up in the wrong hands. In 14 states, the undercover agents admitted to dozens of sellers they could *not pass a background check. It is a felony to sell a gun to someone if the seller has reason to believe the buyer can't pass a background check.
In one clip, undercover officers bought a 9-millimeter pistol online without a background check.
President Barack Obama wants background checks for all firearm sales except between family members. Mayors against illegal guns say universal background checks would stop felons who know they aren't allowed to buy guns.
But gun-rights supporter Larry Ward says universal background checks aren't enforceable. "If you look hard enough to find a gun, you'll find it," he said, "the government has no business in that type of sale."
Action News talked with Senator Marco Rubio's office. A spokesman said the senator doesn't support background checks for private sales. He calls it problematic and expensive.
