Victory for Gun Sense: U.S. House of Representatives Passes Charleston Loophole Legislation

WASHINGTON – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statements as the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019.

“The Charleston shooting illustrated the tragic absurdity of allowing people to bypass a background check if the review of their application isn’t completed within three days,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We applaud Representatives Clyburn, King and Cunningham for introducing bipartisan and common-sense legislation to address this loophole, which will keep thousands of guns away from people who shouldn’t have them.”

“Passing this legislation is not only important for public safety, it’s how we can honor the victims and survivors of the Charleston church shooting with action,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “We know that the Charleston loophole is deadly. I’m grateful to House leaders for their work to address it.”

“The hate-filled man who killed my mother and cousins four years ago never should have gotten his hands on a gun, and yet, through a loophole, he was able to arm himself and take the lives of nine church-goers, peacefully in prayer,” said Reverend Sharon Risher, whose mother, Ethel Lance, and cousins, Susie Jackson and Tywanza Sanders, were shot and killed on June 17, 2015 at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. “No family should have to live with the pain of having a loved one taken by senseless and preventable gun violence. It is high time for Congress to address this loophole, properly enforce our background checks system and keep guns out of the hands of people with hateful intentions.”