mr. chairman , my amendment prohibits the transfer to or possession of a firearm by any individual convicted of committing a sex offense against the minor . 
under current law , it is illegal to transfer or sell a gun to anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in jail . 
it is also illegal for any individual convicted of such a crime to possess a gun . 
for some misdemeanor offenses that , although punishable by less than a year in jail , are of a particular serious nature , we currently prohibit all transfers of guns or possession of guns by individuals convicted of such crimes . 
for example , we prohibit anyone convicted of a crime of domestic violence , whether a felony or a misdemeanor , from purchasing or possessing a gun . 
shockingly , we do not prohibit the sale or possession of guns to people convicted of misdemeanor sex crimes against a minor . 
we should not treat child sex offenders any more leniently with respect to possessing guns than we do domestic abusers . 
if congress is prepared in the underlying bill to require rigorous , severe and intrusive registration for 20 years from persons convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense against a minor , and is prepared to require states to verify this information four times a year , then the offense is indeed of such a serious nature that a convicted sex offender against a child must not be allowed possession of a firearm . 
a criminal convicted of indecent exposure , lewd conduct or molestation against a minor should not have access to a gun . 
these are misdemeanor offenses , but dangerous criminals convicted of committing a sexual crime against a child , even when such offense carries a penalty of less than a year , pose too great a danger to society if in possession of a firearm . 
i urge my colleagues to support this amendment to close this loophole . 
