(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is applauding an announcement made today by the White House that the Biden-Harris administration has approved a new federal rule implementing a key provision of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 that clarifies who must register as a federally licensed firearms dealer and requires anyone who sells firearms to conduct criminal and mental health background checks on potential buyers, regardless of how a sale is conducted.

The requirement addresses a loophole in federal rules that up until now did not require background checks for firearms that are sold online and at gun shows. Connecticut already requires universal background checks for gun sales, however many states do not. By implementing this new federal rule, these background checks will be required in all 50 states.

“Universal criminal and mental health background checks on firearm sales is an issue that has near-unanimous support of Americans, however for too many decades Congress has neglected the will of the people and refused to enact this commonsense requirement,” Governor Lamont said. “When it comes to firearms and efforts to prevent gun violence, a patchwork of different laws in different states does not work. As called for in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 as authored by Senator Chris Murphy, this rule is a coherent national policy that closes a gap in our federal background check system and is supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. I applaud the Biden-Harris administration for taking this step and for their commitment to keeping our neighborhoods safe from gun violence.”