Senate Democrats proposed a new bill Wednesday that would block guns from being sold in the absence of a background check.
The proposal introduced Wednesday by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, as well as Dianne Feinstein of California, would change current law that allows federally licensed gun retailers to sell a firearm without a background check after 72 hours.
This loophole is commonly referred to as the “Charleston” loophole, and is one that allowed Dylann Roof, the alleged shooter that left nine churchgoers dead in Charleston, S.C., to buy a gun after the expiration of the 72-hour wait time for his background check.
Democrats urged their Senate colleagues to back their legislation, and called it a “simple solution” that can “reduce gun violence and save lives.”
According to Blumenthal, whose office announced earlier this month that he would unveil this legislation, the “inconvenience” created by having to wait longer for a background check is outweighed by the effort to save human lives.
“Waiting for a background check, even if longer than 72 hours, is a minor inconvenience far outweighed by the benefit of keeping lethal weapons out of the hands of dangerous people,” he said in a statement.
The senators also cited FBI data estimating that in the last five years, more than 15,000 gun sales took pace to individuals who should have otherwise been prevented from purchasing because of the loophole.
In addition to garnering the support of gun-control groups Everytown for Gun Safety and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Barbara Boxer of California, among others, co-sponsored the so-called “No Check, No Sale” legislation.
Earlier this month, another group of Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a push for new gun control measures, saying they would try to introduce and move legislation later this year if not by early next year.
