(HARTFORD, CT) – One year after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to adopt legislation that will expand federal background checks to all gun sales and close loopholes in the existing system, Governor Ned Lamont is urging the Senate Republicans to finally take action and stop dragging their feet on an issue that the overwhelming majority of Americans support.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act – H.R. 8 – was approved by the House on February 27, 2019. Since that date, it has been sitting on the desk of Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has refused to let the Senate vote on the bill.
Research indicates that as many as a quarter of all gun sales in the U.S. may occur without a background check.
“What are Senate Republicans waiting for?” Governor Lamont asked. “Out of all of the issues that are dividing the country at the moment, universal background checks is one issue that receives near unanimous support. Senator McConnell and his Republican colleagues are giving into the demands of the NRA and their big money lobbyists who are doing everything they can to thwart the will of the American people. It’s worth noting that we were able to get this law passed in Connecticut – and did so on a bipartisan basis. However, laws on firearms are only as strong as those in the weakest state. A patchwork of laws by individual states is not the solution to the American epidemic of gun violence and we are in desperate need of action by Congress.”
Governor Lamont applauded every member of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation for their advocacy in support of this bill, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Chris Murphy who continue to push for a vote in the Senate.