OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Smith Votes to Close Charleston Loophole

Statement

Date: Feb. 28, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Guns

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement after passage of H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019:

"After years of silence, the House is finally taking combating gun violence seriously by passing the second common sense gun reform bill in two days. Since 1998, the "Charleston Loophole" has allowed more than 60,000 guns into the hands of prohibited purchasers; by allowing a buyer to take ownership of a gun after three business days, whether or not the required background check was completed. With the passage of the Enhanced Background Check Act, the House is closing this gap in federal law to only allow the purchase of a gun when a background check has been affirmatively passed. This is the type of action needed to stop the trend of gun violence and mass shootings, like the senseless 2015 tragedy at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Congress must continue to pass meaningful gun violence prevention legislation."


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