Take Action on Background Checks

Please consider using the following letter to communicate with your senators to advocate for legislative proposals to address the gun violence crisis.  Two pending bills, H.R. 8, The Bipartisan Backgrounds Check Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, The Enhanced Backgrounds Check of 2021, are awaiting Senate discussion.  Please consider adding your support to these efforts by sending your letter now.

Send your U.S. senators a message:  Take action on background checks >>

Open each link, complete the demographic information and copy/ paste the text of the letter as your message.

Debbie Stabenow       https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/contact

Gary Peters       https://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary

Dear Senator,

As your constituent, I urge you to take action on background checks to save lives and protect communities from gun violence. Background checks on gun sales work and they stop sales to prohibited people every day.

Since 1994, over 3.5 million sales have been blocked to violent criminals and other prohibited people because of a background check. However, federal law requires a background check on a prospective gun buyer only when a seller is a licensed gun dealer, leaving all other sales—such as gun sales between strangers negotiated over the internet or at a gun show—unregulated and with no background check required. That is why Congress must take action on background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands. This loophole in our background check law weakens gun possession laws, enabling criminals to get armed with no questions asked, and making it difficult to enforce the law and protect communities from gun violence.

Background checks are the foundation of any effective effort to reduce gun violence in this country, and these laws enjoy broad public approval, with poll after poll demonstrating overwhelming support. In fact, 93% of American voters support requiring background checks on all gun sales, including 89% of Republicans and 87% of gun owners.

It has been 25 years since our federal government last enacted a gun safety law: that's 25 years of families being devastated as their loved ones were killed or wounded, and 25 years of survivors and activists demanding change. I urge you to take action on background checks.