[ [link removed] ]Email your members of Congress NOW to demand they uphold background checks
for gun sales!

Dear MoveOn member,

Right now, the gun lobby is actively trying to make it easier for people
to obtain guns without background checks. It's critical that your members
of Congress hear from you today to demand that they don't cave to greedy
special interests above safety for our communities. 

Just a few weeks ago, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF) updated a rule that closed loopholes to make it harder to
get a gun without a background check.^1 The rule change is simple and
sensible. If you want to sell guns, whether at gun shows, at a shop, or
online, you must become a licensed dealer and run background checks on
buyers. Prior to this, unlicensed gun sellers were able to sell guns
without requiring a background check of the buyer. 

But the new rule is at risk of being overturned because the gun lobby is
intensely pressuring Congress to stop it. That means your members of
Congress need to hear from you immediately.

[ [link removed] ]Email your senators and representative right now to demand they support
the new, lifesaving rule to close background check loopholes, for the
safety of our families and communities. Together, we must demand that
Congress listen to us, not the gun lobby!

And it will save lives. In 2019, a person purchased an AR-15 from an
unlicensed gun dealer without a background check and went on to kill seven
people and wound 25 more in Midland and Odessa, Texas.^2 The background
check loophole also enables people with domestic abuse restraining orders
and with violent histories to buy guns unquestioned. Tens of thousands of
guns are sold each year by unlicensed sellers who do not perform
background checks.^3

This rule change is thanks to President's Biden signing the 2022
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first federal gun safety bill passed
in nearly 30 years.^4 The policy requires those who are "engaged in the
business" of selling firearms to become licensed dealers and run
background checks. Prior to just a few weeks ago, only licensed dealers
were required to run background checks, which clearly was a loophole that
Congress needed to close. It's believed there are more than 20,000
unlicensed gun dealers who were selling guns without conducting background
checks, making up a fourth of all gun dealers. 

More than 2,000 MoveOn members submitted public comments in support of
this lifesaving rule change last fall. And a majority of Americans want
comprehensive gun law reform that protects us.^5 But we know that the gun
lobby will stop at nothing to block popular, commonsense gun law reform at
the expense of public safety, so we need to be twice as loud about our
support for background checks and gun violence prevention. 

[ [link removed] ]Will you help us reach our goal of 10,000 MoveOn members sending an
email to their senators and representative to demand they protect expanded
background checks? It takes just a minute and can make a big difference.
Congress will vote on whether to protect or overturn this rule change very
soon!

Thanks for all you do.

–Kelsey, Mia, David, Aliya, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Final Rule: Definition of "Engaged in the Business" as a Dealer in
Firearms," ATF, June 4, 2024
[link removed]

2. "He sold an AR-15-style rifle to a mass shooter. Now he wants universal
background checks," CNN, October 7, 2020
[link removed]

3. "The Biden administration announces rule that will require more
background checks on gun buyers," PBS NewsHour, April 11, 2024
[link removed]

4. Ibid. 

5. "Majority in U.S. Continues to Favor Stricter Gun Laws," Gallup,
October 31, 2023
[link removed]

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never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than
ever. Will you stand with us?



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