March 31, 2023 3:00 a.m.

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said he is co-sponsoring legislation that would close a loophole letting gun sales proceed if a background check is not completed within a certain time period, even if a gun buyer is not legally allowed to buy a gun.

Wyden claims the gap in the existing law has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by the shooter in the deadly 2015 attack at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church.

Wyden said, “This common sense solution would help to save lives put at risk when bureaucratic delays let criminals crawl through legal loopholes to get the gun the law says they’ve forfeited the right to have”. Wyden said, “Its long past time to end that loophole and put public safety first”.

Wyden’s release said when a criminal background check indicates that a firearm purchaser may have a criminal record, the FBI tries to determine whether the purchaser can legally buy a gun. If this process takes longer than 72 hours for those 21 years of age or older, or 10 days for those under 21, gun dealers can complete the sale even though there is a heightened risk that the purchaser is legally disqualified from purchasing a gun.

The Background Check Completion Act would require a completed background check for every gun buyer who purchases a gun from a federally-licensed gun dealer.

The legislation is led by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina is introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.