"The worst of the worst is a bad guy actually using a gun, " Walsh said, adding that the 1.5 million gun sales rejected by a failed background check was "a record of success" regardless of how many prosecutions ensued.
The government has rejected calls to abolish GCSEs, but ministers believe they "will over time evolve into a progress check" at the mid-point of the 14 to 19 phase of education.
Rubio rejected such a characterization on Tuesday, saying that the framework would require undocumented immigrants to undergo a background check and face immediate deportation if they committed any serious crimes.