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John,
Following decades of inaction, at long last we have a proposed rule to expand background checks to purchase firearms at gun shows and online. The Biden administration has proposed the new rule in the guidelines for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and it has the potential to apply to tens of thousands of gun sales every year.
Just as important, and just as common-sense, as closing the gun show loophole is the need to ban the sale and manufacture of assault weapons. The previous assault weapons ban, from 1994 until it expired in 2004, demonstrated its effectiveness, as mass shootings were reduced by 70% over that ten-year period.
Expanding background checks enjoys the support of 90% of Americans, including the vast majority of gun owners and gun rights activists, most of whom have already passed background checks themselves in a gun store. There is near universal agreement on the wisdom of keeping firearms out of the hands of people with a history of violent crime or mental illness.
Tell President Biden: Close the gun show loophole, and re-establish an assault weapons ban, to help create a safer future in our communities.
The new rule will require licensing of all sellers who profit from gun sales. Licensed sellers will be required to conduct adequate background checks at all points of sale, including firearms shows and online.
Over 20,000 currently unlicensed gun dealers will need to become officially licensed in order to continue selling guns in any venue. Such licensing will help to reduce the attractiveness of alternative methods for those who choose to buy guns at shows or online, knowing they would not be able to pass a background check.
We cannot go on tolerating the senseless loss of life in mass shootings such as the tragedies that took the lives of dozens of young children and high school students, and the adults who cared for them, at Uvalde, Texas; Parkland, Florida; and Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
We must be able to prevent the purchases of firearms by those who lack the ability to use them safely, and we must bring an end to the easy availability of military-style assault weapons, made to kill as many people in as short a time as possible.
Sign the petition to tell the Biden administration: Close the gun show loophole and ban assault weapons now!
Thank you for helping to save lives with these common-sense reforms for more responsible firearms sales.
- Amanda
Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund
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