Everytown Statement on Congress Weakening Existing Gun Laws by Repealing Social Security Administration Rule Requiring Submission of Records of Prohibited Purchasers Into the Background Check System

WASHINGTON – Everytown for Gun Safety, the country’s largest gun violence prevention organization, released the following statement from President John Feinblatt today upon the U.S. Senate’s vote to repeal the Social Security Administration rule on record submission to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for disability recipients prohibited from possessing guns due to significant mental illness.

STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:

“The background check system is only as good as the records it contains and Congress just reopened the door for people prohibited from having firearms to buy guns. At a time when we should be making our communities safer, Congress’ first action on guns weakens the background check system and advances the gun lobby’s agenda of more guns for anyone, no questions asked. The hypocrisy is lost on no one. The very same lawmakers who pay lip service to better enforcement of existing laws and keeping guns out of the hands of people with severe mental illness just undermined the safeguards designed to do just that.”