Brady Supports “Jaime’s Law” to Enact Background Checks on Ammunition Sales

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2019 — Today, members of Brady stood alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Chris Murphy, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Fred Guttenberg, the father of murdered Parkland student Jaime Guttenberg, as “Jaime’s Law” was introduced to enact background checks on firearm ammunition. Brady welcomed the bill’s introduction, noting the importance of preventing prohibited purchasers from obtaining deadly ammo.

Kyleanne Hunter, VP of Programs at Brady, stated,

“Today, virtually anyone can walk into a store and purchase massive amounts of dangerous ammunition. If we had laws in place to prevent that from happening, perhaps Jaime Guttenberg would be with us today. Federal law already blocks prohibited purchasers from owning ammunition, but there are no background checks currently required to buy ammunition — a dangerous loophole that allows dangerous people to stockpile it. This needs to be fixed, and we’re proud to support ‘Jaime’s Law’ to do so.”

“Jaime’s Law” proposes background checks be conducted on ammunition in a similar way as firearms, and as would be expanded by the recently passed H.R. 8 and its companion bill, S. 42. While existing law blocks prohibited purchasers from buying ammunition, “Jaime’s Law” would create an enforcement mechanism for ensuring that such sales do not take place. The bill, which is being sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), has 56 cosponsors upon today’s introduction.

For more information on Brady Background Checks, read Brady’s report, “How Brady Background Checks Became Law.”