Mike Levin: “In 1994, the Congress passed the Brady Law, which requires Federal Firearm Licensees to perform criminal background…”

“In 1994, the Congress passed the Brady Law, which requires Federal Firearm Licensees to perform criminal background checks on gun buyers. However, a loophole in this law allows unlicenced private gun sellers to sell firearms at gun shows without conducting a background check. In April of last year, Senator Reed introduced the Gun Show Background Check Act which would close this loophole in the law. The Reed bill, which is supported by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, extends the Brady Bill background check requirement to all sellers of firearms at gun shows. I cosponsored that bill because I believe it is critical that we do all we can to prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals and terrorists. A recent report from Americans for Gun Safety demonstrates how successful the Brady law has been in this regard and why it is important to extend its provisions to firearms sales at gun shows. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics numbers cited in the AGS report, in 2000 alone, Brady bill background checks blocked more than 153,000 felons and other illegal firearms purchasers from buying a gun.”