House passes bills expanding background checks for gun sales, closing ‘Charleston loophole’

The House on Thursday passed two bills that tighten gun sales regulations, sending the measures to a divided Senate.

H.R. 8 expands background checks on individuals seeking to purchase or transfer firearms, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 would close the “Charleston loophole,” a gap in federal law that lets gun sales proceed without a completed background check if three businesses days have passed.

“This bill is a critical step toward preventing gun violence and saving lives,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., who sponsored H.R. 8, said ahead of its passage.

That bill, titled the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, passed 227-203. It received a handful of Republican votes — eight — and had one Democrat vote against. In 2019, the bill was passed with eight Republican votes, five of whom co-sponsored the package.

The Charleston Loophole:

The other bill passed Thursday, H.R. 1446, is linked to the 2015 shooting in Charleston, S.C, where a white supremacist shooter used the loophole to obtain firearms he used to kill nine Black people during a Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church. It extends the initial background check review period from three to 10 days.

USA Today

House passes the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, a measure that would require universal background checks on all commercial gun sales. https://t.co/RzjUcHMEtP

— ABC News (@ABC) March 11, 2021

Today Congress will vote on the HR8 Background Checks. Almost every Dem will vote yes & almost almost every Rep, with a variety of nuanced reasons, will vote no while agreeing it will save lives. This is supported by over 90% of the American voters. VOTE YES TO SAVING LIVES!!! pic.twitter.com/mjxRbhbqtQ

— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) March 11, 2021

Source: USA Today