Everytown Statement on How Charleston and Chattanooga Shootings Reveal NRA-Backed Loopholes that Make it Easy for Dangerous People to Buy Guns
7.21.2015
Chattanooga Shooter Reportedly Purchased Gun on Armslist.com Where 77 Percent of Ads Are Posted by Unlicensed Sellers Not Required to Conduct Background Checks Under Federal Law; Armslist Investigations Available Here
Charleston Shooter Purchased Gun Without a Completed Background Check; More than 15,000 Guns Transferred via ‘Default Proceed’ Sales In Last Five Years
Full-Page Ad in Washington Post Today Calls on Congress to Close Charleston Loophole; #NoCheckNoSale
NEW YORK – In conjunction with a full-page ad in The Washington Post today calling on Congress to close the Charleston loophole, Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country including Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, released the below statement from President John Feinblatt in response to recent shootings in Charleston and Chattanooga:
“In the last month we have seen two tragedies in Charleston and Chattanooga that highlight the loopholes that make it easy for dangerous people to get guns – loopholes that the NRA put in place and has fought to preserve.
“While we are still learning all the facts of what happened in the Chattanooga shooting, media reports indicate that the shooter purchased firearms on Armslist.com – a site where 77 percent* of ads are posted by unlicensed sellers not required to conduct a background check under federal law. This calls to light how easy it is for dangerous people to take advantage of the online sales loophole to buy guns, no questions asked.
“In Charleston, the shooter obtained his gun, in part, because the required 72 hours passed and the seller was allowed to make the sale without a completed background check. More than 15,000 guns have been sold to dangerous people in just the last five years because of the ‘default proceed’ loophole that allows licensed gun dealers to sell guns before the background check is complete.
“We’ve seen too many times that it just takes one gun in the wrong hands to wreak havoc and change lives forever. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to step up and put public safety ahead of the interests of the gun lobby. We are paying for these lax gun laws with American lives.”
RESEARCH ON DEFAULT SALES AND THE ONLINE SALES LOOPHOLE
- Additional information on default proceed sales is available here.
- For nearly five years, Everytown has led a national examination of the public safety risks associated with online gun sales. Additional information on the online sales loophole including investigations on Armslist.com are available here.
*An Everytown analysis shows that on July 20, 2015, there were 66,950 ads offering guns for sale on Armslist.com. Of them, 51,679 (77 percent) had been posted by self-described “private” sellers, who are not required by federal law to conduct background checks on their buyers.