WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez joined several Democratic colleagues at a press conference to announce introduction of the Background Check Completion Act that would close a loophole which allows retailers to finalize gun sales if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun.

“We have a very simple message for retailers: Don’t jump the gun,” said Sen. Menendez. “Perform a reasonable background check and wait for the results before you hand someone a deadly weapon.”

When a criminal background check indicates that a firearm purchaser may have a criminal record, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tries to determine whether the purchaser can legally buy a gun. If this process takes longer than 72 hours, gun dealers can complete the sale even though there is a heightened risk that the purchaser is legally disqualified from purchasing a gun.

The Background Check Completion Act would require a completed background check for every gun buyer who purchases a gun from a federally-licensed gun dealer, closing the loophole that has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by Dylann Roof in his deadly attack at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., in June.

“For too long, our legislators have prioritized gun industry profits over the safety of our families,” said Ladd Everitt of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “This bill is an important signal that we value the lives of our loved ones far too much to allow guns to be transferred without a complete background check.”

Several gun retailers, including Walmart, the nation’s largest, have voluntarily chosen to only proceed with gun sales after a background check is completed. In July, Menendez joined eleven Senate colleagues in a letter to three companies that currently allow default sales imploring them to cease the practice that has potentially deadly consequences. To date, no company has responded to the senators’ requests.

The bill is led by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and is also co-sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

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