WASHINGTON, DC – The United States House of Representatives passed two bills on Thursday that expand background checks on gun sales and potentially lead to a reduction in armed violence. Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – NY) was a co-sponsor of both laws, according to a press release from his office.
Approximately 43,000 people died in the United States due to armed violence in 2020, including 23,000 who committed suicide with firearms, Suozzi said.
Linda Beigel Schulman, a Dix Hills resident and constituent of Suozzi, lost her son, Scott, in 2018 during the Parkland shooting. Since then, they have worked together on Long Island to defend laws to prevent armed violence and to share what they think should be a non-partisan issue, according to Suozzi. Long Island has experienced more than 700 incidents of armed violence since 2014, Suozzi said.
“Extended background checks are common sense laws supported by millions of New Yorkers and even gun owners,” Suozzi said in a press release. “Now, with a Democratic-controlled Senate and Joe Biden in the White House, our country now has the opportunity to pass significant legislation to prevent armed violence. Many people lost their lives due to armed violence so that we cannot act ”.
The 2021 Bipartisan Background Verification Act would require a background check for each sale or transfer of weapons, with exceptions that, for example, allow a person: to give a weapon to a family member as a gift; lend a gun for hunting or target shooting; or temporarily transfer a weapon for self-defense. The legislation would address loopholes in the background check, as currently, people are not required to undergo a background check if they are buying a gun from an unlicensed arms dealer – like buying a firearm at a gun fair, online or person to person.
In addition, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 would address what is known as the “Charleston Gap”, which currently allows the sale of a firearm if the background check is not completed within three business days. The “Charleston Loophole,” said Suozzi, allowed Dylan Roof to carry out the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, which killed nine innocent people in 2015.
“Congressman Suozzi understands that the prevention of armed violence should not be a partisan issue and is fighting for the safety of everyone,” said Beigel Schulman. “He does not speak like a politician, he speaks like a father who cares deeply and like a person who is determined to make security his main issue. I defend Mr Suozzi for reasonable arms security legislation so that we can all analyze deeply breathe and feel safe in our daily lives. “