Background Checks on All Gun Sales
What does it solve?
Background checks are the foundation of any comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy. Current federal law requires that background checks be conducted whenever a person attempts to buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer. This is to ensure that the buyer is not legally prohibited from having the gun.
While federal law requires background checks for all gun sales by licensed gun dealers, it does not require background checks for guns sold by unlicensed sellers, like non-dealers who sell guns online or at gun shows. This loophole enables people with felony convictions, domestic abuse restraining orders, and other people with prohibiting histories to buy guns with no questions asked. The loophole should be closed to require background checks on all gun sales—not just on the sale of firearms from licensed gun dealers.
Background Checks and/or Purchase Permit
Which states require background checks and/or permits to purchase handguns?
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Alabama has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Alaska has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Arizona has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Arkansas has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
California has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Colorado has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Connecticut has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase and point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Delaware has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Florida has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Georgia has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Hawaii has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Idaho has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Illinois has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase and point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Indiana has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Iowa has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Kansas has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Kentucky has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Louisiana has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Maine has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Maryland has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase (for handguns) and point-of-sale (for all guns)
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Massachusetts has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Michigan has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Minnesota has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- Handguns and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase or point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Mississippi has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Missouri has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Montana has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Nebraska has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- Handguns only
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Nevada has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
New Hampshire has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
New Jersey has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase and point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
New Mexico has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
New York has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase (for handguns and semiautomatic rifles) and point-of-sale (for all guns)
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
North Carolina has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
North Dakota has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Ohio has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Oklahoma has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Oregon has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Permit to purchase and point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Pennsylvania has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- Handguns only
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Rhode Island has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
South Carolina has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
South Dakota has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Tennessee has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Texas has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Utah has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Vermont has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Virginia has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Washington has adopted this policy
- Does the law cover only handgun purchases, or also rifle and shotgun purchases?
- All firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns)
- When is the background check performed?
- Point-of-sale
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
West Virginia has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Wisconsin has not adopted this policy
Background Check and/or Purchase Permit
Wyoming has not adopted this policy
Myth & Fact
Myth
Fact
How it works
Background checks keep guns out of the wrong hands.
Current federal law does not require background checks on sales between unlicensed parties. This means that people with dangerous histories can easily circumvent the background check system simply by purchasing their firearm online or at a gun show.Â
An Everytown investigation showed that as many as 1 in 9 people arranging to buy a firearm on Armslist.com, the nation’s largest online gun marketplace, are people who cannot legally have firearms. And the unlicensed sale marketplace is large: the same investigation found that each year, 1.2 million ads offering firearms for sale are listed that would not legally require a background check to be completed. A 2015 survey found that nearly a quarter of Americans—22 percent—who acquired a firearm in the two years prior did so without a background check.
Requiring background checks on all gun sales is proven to reduce gun violence. State laws requiring background checks for all handgun sales—by point-of-sale check and/or permit—are associated with lower firearm homicide rates, lower firearm suicide rates, and lower firearm trafficking.
By the numbers
10%
States with laws requiring background checks for all gun sales—by point-of-sale check and/or permit—were associated with 10 percent lower homicides rates.
1.2M
Each year, 1.2 million online ads offering firearms for sale are listed that would not legally require a background check to be completed.
Alexandria Imani Burgos On October 19, 2014, our lives were shattered forever. Our daughter, Alexandria Imani Burgos, who was 18 years old at the time, went to pick up her younger brother, Christian, from a small birthday gathering at a friend’s house. While waiting inside, a stray bullet entered the… Continue