Washington, D.C. – Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) announcement on final regulations to expand required background checks for firearm sales:
“Too many people have bypassed background checks to obtain firearms and our people and communities have paid the price with their lives. Today we closed a dangerous loophole that allowed firearms to be sold and purchased online and at gun shows without a background check. The ATF’s 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. We must continue to act with urgency and I will not stop until we end gun violence and restore safety to our communities.”
Rep. Tokuda has been a strong advocate for expanding background checks for firearms sales. In December 2023, she sent a letter to ATF alongside her colleagues on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, expressing strong support for the agency's efforts to finalize these “engaged in the business” regulations. Last year, she also helped introduce the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, common sense legislation to prevent dangerous individuals from acquiring a firearm and to require that every sale of a firearm include a background check. She also signed onto a discharge petition with 208 of her colleagues to force the bill to the floor for a vote.
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