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Issues

Prohibited Gun Possessors

Prohibited Gun Possessors

What is the problem?

Keeping guns out of the hands of people who are likely to harm themselves or others—before they act—is the most effective way to prevent gun violence.

Federal law requires background checks on all gun sales from licensed firearm dealers to ensure that gun buyers do not fall into one of the categories of people prohibited by law from having a gun. But the law does not require background checks on sales from unlicensed sellers, including online or at gun shows—making it easy for a prohibited person to acquire a gun. Federal law also fails to prohibit certain categories of people with particularly dangerous histories, and it does not provide a process through which people who are likely to commit violent acts against themselves or others can be blocked from having access to guns.

Why is it an issue?

Preventing access to guns by those who pose a risk to themselves or others.

Any comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy must start with background checks on all gun sales and build upon them to close other existing loopholes that enable prohibited people to access guns, including the one that allows a gun sale to proceed if a background check isn’t completed within three business days and addressing the rising threat of ghost guns.

Federal law and many state laws also do not prohibit gun possession by certain categories of people with particularly dangerous histories, including abusive dating partners and people recently convicted of violent misdemeanors. Federal law also fails to provide a process through which people who are likely to commit violent acts against themselves or others can be temporarily blocked from having access to guns.

By the numbers

What are the solutions?

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Prohibited Gun Possessors

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