Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021

Sadly, mass shootings have returned to the American conscience after back-to-back shootings in Atlanta and Boulder. These incidents are extremely painful for us as an organization but nowhere near as painful as what victims in these cities are currently experiencing. We hold their pain closely in our hearts and recommit to the work that must be done.

There are multiple bipartisan solutions that have public support. The time is NOW for us to raise our diverse voices – gun owner and non-gun owners, Democrats and Republicans, every race and ethnicity – in unison. This issue is challenging and it is difficult, but no opposition is a match for the growing majority of Americans that want gun violence to stop.

To begin, we START with universal background checks. With 93% of voters in favor of requiring background checks for all gun buyers*, NOW is the time for a federal law to close all loopholes and require a background check for every firearm sale. HR8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 has passed the House and is now headed to the Senate, and it is vitally important that our Senators FEEL OUR SUPPORT for this legislation.

The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Federal law currently prohibits certain individuals from possessing a gun, i.e. felons, individuals who have been involuntary committed for mental illness, domestic violence, and more. The process that ensures these individuals do not possess is the background check system. Due to the evolution of the firearm business and loopholes that existed from the onset, certain transfers and purchases allow for the check to be circumvented. HR 8 would close the most egregious loopholes, all the while allowing for certain exceptions, such as a gift between spouses in good faith and other reasonable accommodations.

Around 80% of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes are obtained through transfers from unlicensed sellers**. The time is now to close this loophole and establish a strong foundation for reducing gun violence in our country.

Read the full text of the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR8%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=1

Email your support of universal background checks to your Senator TODAY. Your voice matters and will continue to supplement our work as we discuss bipartisan solutions with Senators on both sides of the political aisle.

Gratefully,

The Whitney/Strong team

*Polling source: https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2604

**Katherine A. Vittes, Jon S. Vernick, and Daniel W. Webster, "Legal Status and Source of Offenders' Firearms in States with the Least Stringent Criteria for Gun Ownership," Injury Prevention 19, no. 1 (2013): 26-31