Casten Votes to Close ‘Charleston Loophole’ Bill
Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) voted in favor of H.R. 1112, a bipartisan bill that would strengthen background checks on guns sales. The bill would close the "Charleston Loophole" by preventing gun sales from proceeding if a background check isn't completed within three days, as allowed under current law. In 2015, nine innocent people were murdered at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a gunman who would not have passed a background check. That attack exposed an area of weakness in our federal gun laws, commonly referred to as the "Charleston Loophole."
Casten said, "Every day in this country, mothers and fathers wonder if their children are going to come home at the end of a school day. Every day in this country, people with mental health issues attempt to take their lives – and have vastly more success than those in countries without access to lethal weapons. Every day in this country, another 100 people die. And in 2015, nine innocent people were gunned down at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
Enough is enough. I'm glad Congress is finally addressing gun control and for the second time this week, the House passed major legislation to strengthen background checks on gun sales. This common-sense bill will close the ‘Charleston Loophole', which has put 60,000 guns into the hands of prohibited buyers since 1998."
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