Sunday, May 12, 2024

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

It's no secret that the regulation of guns in this country needs some reform. It’s not uncommon for firearms to be sold online without the proper license to do so and without the buyer passing a background check first, both of which are standard practices to buy and sell guns in the United States. For decades citizens have cried out to their elected officials to do something about this issue, and while there have been policies implemented to try to stop guns from getting into the wrong hands, none have been successful in stopping the illegal sale of guns to felons, domestic abusers, or even minors who try to use unlicensed gun dealers as their ticket to owning firearms. By supporting the new changes being made to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, there is a hope for a future where students will no longer fear the threat of a school shooting while attending their classes. 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a federal law that was passed in 2022 during the Biden-Harris administration which aims to help create safer communities for Americans by modifying gun control laws, mental health services, and school safety programs. The new changes being made to the law would cover any possible loopholes that are still allowing the wrong people to bypass the law and purchase guns. It would do this by creating clearer and more strict guidelines to ensure that firearm dealers must become licensed to continue to sell, removing loopholes for gun shows and online sales, and ensuring that all licensed gun dealers are performing background checks before selling. 

Much of the gun violence in America is caused by unlicensed gun dealers selling to people who would not have passed a background check. Even the tragic Columbine shooting in 1999 was the result of minors buying firearms from an unlicensed dealer at a gun show. Supporting these adaptations to the law and urging your representatives in Congress to do the same could be the difference between your child coming home from school or not one day. 

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