GOFRO supports universal background checks to help save lives. The resources below help explain why.

Giffords Law Center: Universal Background Checks

Though more than 90% of the American public supports background checks for all gun sales, a dangerous and deadly loophole in federal gun laws still exempts unlicensed sellers from having to perform any background check whatsoever before selling a firearm. With this loophole, guns easily find their way into the hands of illegal buyers and gun traffickers, dramatically increasing the likelihood of gun murders and suicides.

Science Daily: Tighter background checks associated with fewer firearm deaths

Research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham reveals that in general, states that require more comprehensive background checks before gun purchases also have fewer homicide and suicide deaths by firearm.

Science Daily: Repeal of Missouri's background check law associated with increase in state's murders

Missouri's 2007 repeal of its permit-to-purchase (PTP) handgun law, which required all handgun purchasers to obtain a license verifying that they have passed a background check, contributed to a sixteen percent increase in Missouri's murder rate, according to a new study from researchers with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

The Washington Post: Why expanding background checks would, in fact, reduce gun crime

Daniel Webster, a leading expert on gun violence, and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, to responds to arguments against background checks.

Current Federal Legislation Under Consideration

HR 8 Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8/text/eh