{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/12/12/2025/blumenthal-leads-senate-introduction-of-no-check-no-sale-bill-to-close-the-charleston-loophole", "Blumenthal Leads Senate Introduction of \"No Check, No Sale\" Bill to Close the Charleston Loophole", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 This week, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led twenty-five Senators in introducing legislation to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed within a certain time period, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The gap in existing law has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by the shooter in the deadly attack at Charleston\u2019s Emanuel AME Church. U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cThis loophole is a massive gateway to dangerous evasion of the background check rules,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cIf you haven\u2019t passed a background check, you shouldn\u2019t be able to purchase a weapon. No check, no gun. It\u2019s really that simple.\u201d\n\nWhen a criminal background check indicates that a firearm purchaser may have a criminal record, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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.\n\nThe Background Check Completion Act would require a completed background check for every gun buyer who purchases a gun from a federally-licensed gun dealer.\n\nThe Background Check Completion Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).\n\nThe legislation has been endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords, Brady, Sandy Hook Promise and Newtown Action Alliance.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/12/12/2025/blumenthal-leads-senate-introduction-of-no-check-no-sale-bill-to-close-the-charleston-loophole"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5697828494012356, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}