Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, today I am reintroducing legislation that would help bolster the Nation's background check system for firearms.
Under current law, incomplete background checks must be removed from the FBl's systems if they remain unresolved beyond the 88-day mark. As a result, countless firearms have been sold without completed background checks. This poses a grave danger because it allows individuals who we know are dangerous to purchase firearms.
In recent years, gun sales across America have dramatically increased. In 2022, about 17.4 million guns were sold in the United States. Unfortunately, this surge in purchases has overwhelmed our already-strained background check system.
While the vast majority of background checks are promptly completed within 3 days, the sheer volume of checks means that some checks will necessarily be delayed--and sometimes significantly delayed.
According to data compiled by NBC News, between January 2020 and November 2021, the FBI was unable to resolve 734,604 background checks within the current 88-day window. As a result of these delays, the FBI was required to wipe the incomplete checks from their systems. Since these background checks were never completed, it is impossible to know how many of these firearms were transferred to purchasers who were prohibited by law from owning a gun.
Congress must act to protect public safety by ensuring that all background checks are completed.
This bill would do exactly that. It would grant the FBI the authority to retain gun purchase records until a background check is fully completed. Put simply, this bill will let the FBI do its job.
I thank Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Menendez, Murphy, Padilla, and Whitehouse for their support, and I urge the rest of my colleagues to support the bill as well. ______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Rounds):
S. 2384. A bill to provide lawful permanent resident status for certain advanced STEM degree holders, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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