Learn more in our new report on how COVID-19 is worsening long-standing loopholes in our country's background check system
Everytown for Gun Safety

John–

Gun violence was already a crisis in the United States before COVID-19. More than 100 Americans were dying from gun violence every day, and over 230 more were shot and wounded.

To make matters worse, COVID-19 and a surge in gun sales have weakened the country's background check system, posing the threat of an even deadlier gun violence crisis.

Read our new report to learn more about the issue, and what it will take to fix our country's background check system.

During the pandemic, our nation's background check system has been overwhelmed by a record-breaking surge in gun sales. Between March and November of this year, 43 percent more checks were processed than in the same period in 2019. And John, this unparalleled strain on the system has been rife with consequences.

Background checks in the United States increased 43% between March and November 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019.

Here are just some of the things we're dealing with:

  • By the end of 2020, an estimated 600,000 background checks will have taken longer than three business days. Because of the Charleston loophole, all sales that are delayed past this deadline can legally proceed. That means at least 7,500 illegal purchasers could have acquired guns this way—more than during the last two years combined.

  • Posts by people looking to buy guns on websites specializing in no-background-check gun sales have also spiked during the pandemic, nearly doubling in 2020 compared to 2019.

  • Demand has skyrocketed for ghost guns in 2020. These are unregulated do-it-yourself firearms that are not subject to background checks, do not have serial numbers, and cannot be traced when they are recovered at crime scenes.

John, these findings in our research make it abundantly clear that we must fix the loopholes in America's background check system.

Read our new report to learn what our leaders can do to address this crisis and ensure guns are not sold without a completed background check.

Thank you for being a part of this movement, and thank you for taking the time to learn more about issues critical to the future of the fight to end gun violence.

Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund

Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, supports a movement of Americans fighting for common-sense gun policies. We are moms, mayors, survivors, and concerned citizens.
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