Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. Both bills would strengthen existing gun safety laws by ensuring that background checks apply to private firearms dealers and closes the “Charleston Loophole” that allows the completion of a firearm transaction before a background check is completed. 

“Today’s vote is about protecting the American people from the crisis of gun violence by strengthening gun safety laws that are already on the books,” said Blunt Rochester. “Both the Bipartisan Background Checks bill and closing the Charleston Loophole will ensure that the background check system we already have in place works better. Combating gun violence is truly one of the most urgent and necessary challenges of our time - and I am proud to be a cosponsor and cast my vote for both of these critical pieces of legislation.” 

H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021:

Current federal law requires that licensed gun dealers conduct background checks on prospective purchasers before completing the sale of firearms. However, this requirement does not apply to unlicensed sellers of guns, who frequently sell them without background checks in many different circumstances, such as online, at gun shows, and through unregulated person-to-person sales. This bill would address this problem by requiring a background check on every gun sale or transfer with limited exceptions, such as gifts to family members and transfers for hunting, target shooting, and self-defense. 

H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021:

The purpose of the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 is to strengthen the background check procedures to be followed before a Federal firearms licensee may transfer a firearm to a person who is not such a licensee. When an individual attempts to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer, the FBI has three days to complete a background check. If the background check is not completed within three days, the firearm sale may proceed without a completed check. This provision- the “Charleston Loophole” allowed a gunman to purchase the firearm used to murder nine parishioners at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 addresses this deficiency by providing the FBI additional time to complete background checks and gives notice to the FBI about which cases need to be prioritized for review.

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