House Passes Life Saving Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

(Washington, DC) Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. These two gun violence prevention bills will save lives and take strong action to curb the gun violence epidemic in America. Representative Malinowski is a cosponsor of both pieces of legislation.

H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 would require a background check for every gun sale or transfer, with some reasonable and explicit exceptions that, for example, allow a person to: give a gun as a gift to a family member; loan a gun for hunting or target shooting; or temporarily transfer a gun for self-defense. Its purpose is to ensure that individuals already prohibited from gun possession under federal law, such as felons and domestic abusers, are not able to obtain firearms. National polls have consistently shown that a bill requiring universal background checks is supported by over 90 percent of Americans.

H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 would end the “Charleston Loophole”, which allows for the sale of a firearm to move forward if a background check is not completed within three business days. This weakness in the law was revealed in 2015, when Dylann Roof walked into a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and murdered nine innocent people with a gun he was legally prohibited from owning. He had obtained the gun because the FBI was unable to complete his background check until two days after the current three day deadline. 

“No child should be afraid to go to school, and Americans from all walks of life: students, parents, law enforcement, veterans, and law abiding gun owners, are demanding that we act to keep our kids safe,” said Rep. Malinowski. “While there is still much work to be done, I am proud that today we took effective action to help ensure that no family has to endure the heartbreak and horror of losing a loved one to gun violence.”

Since his first days in office, Rep. Malinowski has been a leading voice in Congress in the fight for stronger gun violence prevention laws. He is a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and previously cosponsored the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act in the 116th Congress.