WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, spoke out in support of a new rule that will expand background check requirements for firearm sales and effectively close a loophole that has allowed unlicensed individuals to sell firearms to those who could not pass a background check via gun shows and online marketplaces.
“Too many people have bypassed background checks to obtain firearms and our people and communities have paid the price with their lives,” Tokuda said in a statement issued on Thursday. “Today we closed a dangerous loophole that allowed firearms to be sold and purchased online and at gun shows without a background check.
“The (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’) newest regulations will keep guns out of the hands of people who should not own them, and it is an important step towards universal background checks,” Tokuda said. “We must continue to act with urgency and I will not stop until we end gun violence and restore safety to our communities.”
In her brief time in Congress, Tokuda has been an outspoken advocate for expanding background checks for firearms sales. Last December, she joined colleagues on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in a letter supporting ATF’s efforts to finalize the new regulations. She also helped introduce the Bipartisan Background Checks Act.
According to a 2021 study by Everytown for Gun Safety, there are 1.2 million ads listed each year that offer firearms for sale without a background check. The study further found that 1 in 9 prospective buyers who respond to ads from unlicensed sellers would not pass a background check.
Under the new rule, anyone who sells firearms predominantly to earn a profit must be federally licensed and conduct background checks, regardless of whether they are selling on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The new rule implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s expansion of firearm background checks, which the Biden administration has called “the only significant expansion of the background check requirement” since the 1993 Brady Bill.
“I’ve spent hours with families who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence,” Pres. Joe Biden said in a statement released on Thursday. “They all have the same message: ‘Do something.’ Today, my Administration is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold without background checks. This is going to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and felons. And my administration is going to continue to do everything we possibly can to save lives. Congress needs to finish the job and pass universal background checks legislation now.”
Gun rights advocates, who said the new law unfairly targets gun owners, are expected to challenge the new regulations in court.
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.