Blumenthal Statement on GOP Rejection of Commonsense Gun Safety Measures
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked two amendments, detailed below, to the budget reconciliation bill that would enact commonsense measures to reduce gun violence:
“Today, the Senate continued its complicity in the gun violence epidemic that plagues our country and continues to take innocent lives every day. Even after yesterday’s tragic massacre in San Bernardino – the 355th mass shooting in America this year -- the Senate failed to approve commonsense, life-saving measures to reduce gun violence.
“It is shameful and egregious that even sensible legislation to stop those on the FBI’s Terrorist Watch List from purchasing a firearm – people who have been deemed too dangerous to board an airplane – did not receive majority support. No less shameful is the Senate’s failure to close the loophole that allows people to purchase guns at gun shows without undergoing a background check.
“The American people did not elect us to shrug our shoulders, they elected us to provide solutions. Gun violence takes over 30,000 lives every year. I will continue to fight for sensible, meaningful legislation that will combat the scourge of gun violence.”
Specifically, the two amendments voted on would:
Close Background Check Loopholes:
- Under current law, guns can be sold over the internet and at gun shows without any background checks at all.
- Millions of guns are sold through these loopholes every year, and according to one study, nearly 70 percent of prison inmates obtained the guns used in crimes through transactions that did not require a background check. [CAP, 2/15]
- Today’s legislation would close those loopholes by requiring a background check before a gun can be sold online or at gun shows.
Prevent Those On Terror Watchlist From Purchasing Guns & Explosives:
- The “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015” amendment empowers the U.S. Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to suspected terrorists if it is reasonably believed those individuals may use firearms or explosives in connection with an act of terrorism, all while protecting legitimate gun owners’ rights to acquire guns or explosives.
- Under current law, a member of a terrorist organization is not prohibited “possessing firearms or explosives” or from being able to purchase handguns or assault-style rifles.
- The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that between 2004 and 2014, suspected terrorists attempted to exploit this loophole and purchase guns at least 2,233 times, succeeding in 2,043 of those instances, or 91 percent of the time.
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