WASHINGTON -- Two New Jersey Republicans have signed onto Democratic-led legislation that would require background checks for all gun purchases and help states improve the database used to screen potential buyers.
Reps. Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist., and Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., joined all seven House Democrats from New Jersey as co-sponsors of the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, which is supported by more than 200 lawmakers, including 11 Republicans.
Both GOP representatives added their names this week, following the mass killing of 17 people at a South Florida high school earlier this month.
"Background checks work and are the first line of defense in law enforcement's efforts to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers and those deemed dangerously mentally ill," Lance said.
"That's why I believe that all gun purchases, including those at gun shows, over the internet or in classified ads, should be checked," he said.
Smith voted for the original 1993 background check bill named for James Brady, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, and the 1994 ban on assault-style weapons, which President George W. Bush and a Republican-controlled Congress allowed to expire.
"The congressman has always supported background checks for gun purchases," Smith spokesman Matt Hadro said. "This freestanding bill is important for improving and updating the background check process without infringing on Second Amendment rights."
The measure's lead sponsors are Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and Peter King, R-N.Y., but few Republicans have supported it while most Democrats have.
Missing from the list of co-sponsors is Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., who reversed his position and announced he would support universal background checks.
MacArthur spokeswoman Camille Gallo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump has endorsed expanded background checks
Both Lance and Smith voted against House Republican legislation that would force New Jersey to honor permits to carry concealed weapons granted by other states. Lance also was one of only two Republicans to oppose legislation prohibiting the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting to the background check database the names of veterans deemed mentally incompetent.
Separately, House Democrats are seeking support for an effort to bypass House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Their petition to do so has 169 signatures from Democratic members, including five from New Jersey. They need 218 to get the measure on the floor, meaning some Republicans will have to sign on.
An effort to force a vote on similar legislation two years ago led Democrats to stage a 25-hour sit-in on the House floor. Ryan refused to bring the measure up for a vote and House Republicans the next year voted to penalize lawmakers attempting similar protests.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.