Press Release
Posted:
On April 11, 2024, the Biden Administration issued a rule which helps close the loophole that made it easy for felons, domestic abusers and those mentally unwell from purchasing firearms without a background check either online or at a gun show.
Under the new rule, firearms sellers previously operating without running background checks will be obligated to perform them before selling a firearm to a buyer. This will save lives by keeping firearms out of the hands of people who are already prohibited from possessing firearms.
This rule was made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most consequential gun violence prevention legislation signed into law in decades. This bill passed in the last Congress under Democratic leadership.
Background Checks
• Every day background checks stop more than 160 felons and 50 domestic abusers from getting a gun from a federally licensed dealer.
• Universal background checks are supported by over 90 percent of Americans.
• One investigation found that 1 in 9 people who respond to online ads from unlicensed sellers would fail a background check.
Background Check Loophole Tragedies
• In 1999, the school shooters from the Columbine High School shooting were both under 18 and too young to purchase firearms legally. The shooters had their acquaintance purchase firearms for them at a gun show through an unlicensed seller to avoid a background check.
• In 2012, a domestic abuser was barred from possessing firearms following a restraining order taken out by his estranged wife. The day before the abuser killed his wife and two others, and injuring four at the Azana Salon in Wisconsin, he purchased a gun from an unlicensed seller he met online without a background check.
• In 2019, a man shot and killed seven people and wounded dozens more after a multiple-location shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas. The shooter had previously tried to purchase a gun from a sporting goods store but was stopped by a background check because of his mental health history. He was ultimately able to purchase an AR-15 assault-style rifle without a background check from an unlicensed seller he met online.