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As Guns Continue to Be Bought and Sold Without Checks, Lautenberg Bill Seeks to Close Gun Show Loophole
Investigation Finds Guns Readily Available at Arizona Gun Show Without Background Checks
Lautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224
Monday, January 31,
2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) reaffirmed his commitment to closing the gun show loophole after an investigation by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed that buyers could easily obtain semiautomatics weapons at an Arizona gun show without undergoing a background check. Last week, Senator Lautenberg introduced legislation to close the ‘gun show loophole’ and require background checks for everyone purchasing weapons at gun shows.
“While the tragedy in Tucson weighs heavily on the national conscience, it’s business as usual for gun show dealers who continue to peddle dangerous guns without a background check,” Lautenberg said. “The gun show loophole remains in place today because the special interest gun lobby has scared off legislators from enacting responsible reform. It’s time to put aside business as usual in Washington, and start considering the safety of our families over special interests. I remain committed to working in Congress to close the gun show loophole.”
Senator Lautenberg’s Gun Show Background Check Act would close the gun show loophole that allows guns to be sold, even to criminals and the mentally-ill, without background checks at gun shows. It would require that sellers at gun shows perform the same background checks that licensed gun dealers are required to perform under the Brady Law. The Gun Show Background Check Act of 2011 is virtually identical to the Lautenberg amendment passed by the Senate in the 106th Congress as part of the Juvenile Justice bill.
The legislation, S. 35, is co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
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