[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 124 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
        Menendez, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Padilla, and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 2381. A bill to require the search and retention of certain 
records with respect to conducting criminal background checks, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, today I am reintroducing legislation 
that would help bolster the Nation's background check system for 
firearms.
  Under current law, incomplete background checks must be removed from 
the FBl's systems if they remain unresolved beyond the 88-day mark. As 
a result, countless firearms have been sold without completed 
background checks. This poses a grave danger because it allows 
individuals who we know are dangerous to purchase firearms.
  In recent years, gun sales across America have dramatically 
increased. In 2022, about 17.4 million guns were sold in the United 
States. Unfortunately, this surge in purchases has overwhelmed our 
already-strained background check system.
  While the vast majority of background checks are promptly completed 
within 3 days, the sheer volume of checks means that some checks will 
necessarily be delayed--and sometimes significantly delayed.
  According to data compiled by NBC News, between January 2020 and 
November 2021, the FBI was unable to resolve 734,604 background checks 
within the current 88-day window. As a result of these delays, the FBI 
was required to wipe the incomplete checks from their systems. Since 
these background checks were never completed, it is impossible to know 
how many of these firearms were transferred to purchasers who were 
prohibited by law from owning a gun.
  Congress must act to protect public safety by ensuring that all 
background checks are completed.
  This bill would do exactly that. It would grant the FBI the authority 
to retain gun purchase records until a background check is fully 
completed. Put simply, this bill will let the FBI do its job.
  I thank Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Menendez, Murphy, Padilla, and 
Whitehouse for their support, and I urge the rest of my colleagues to 
support the bill as well.
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