WASHINGTON— Today the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks of 2021. The pieces of legislation mandate background checks for all gun sales and transfers with reasonable exceptions and close the ‘Charleston Loophole’ which currently allows a gun purchase to proceed if a background check is not completed within three business days. After the vote, Rep. Grijalva issued the following statement:

“We can all agree that closing existing loopholes in federal law to prevent domestic abusers and felons from obtaining firearms is a good thing. These are common sense solutions, with overwhelming support from the American people, to stopping the scourge of gun violence that is tearing our communities and country apart. While I am supportive of all efforts to end gun violence, we must continue to push for more. This includes banning dangerous assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and lifting the ban on public health research into gun violence that has long prevented us from knowing the full impact of this crisis on our nation. Ending gun violence and keeping our children and communities safe should never be a partisan issue.”

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