By: Alyssa Wilson

Two bills aiming to tighten gun laws and close the “Charleston loophole” in the United States passed in the House on Thursday with a 219 – 210 vote, and they now head to the Senate. 

The “Enhanced Background Checks Act,” proposed by Representative Jim Clyburn, extends the length of FBI background checks for gun purchases and strives to close the loophole,” according to The Post and Courier. 

When a person attempting to purchase a gun legally submits to a background check, the National Instant Criminal Background Checks Systems (NICS) returns a result in minutes. In some cases, the system cannot decide and the FBI has three business days to investigate. 

If the FBI does not complete an investigation in those three days, it is up to the seller to decide. 

This process is known as the “Charleston Loophole” because it is how Dylann Roof obtained a gun before the mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. 

On June 17, 2015, a gunman entered Emanuel AME Church & murdered 9 innocent worshipers using a gun he shouldn’t have been allowed to own.

We must close the #CharlestonLoophole & allow the FBI time to complete background checks to ensure guns don’t fall into the wrong hands. pic.twitter.com/aDZmFFvYvG

— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) March 11, 2021

The House also passed H.R.8 to expand background checks on individuals looking to buy or transfer guns. 

“If people can’t be safe in bible study, then they can’t be safe anywhere,” Clyburn said, according to Yahoo! News. 

The mass shooting at Emanuel AME has been called a clear act of white supremacist violence as Roof murdered nine Black churchgoers. 

I am emotional today for the families and friends of the Emanuel Nine, several of who were my constituents.

They have been waiting for years to see the ‘Charleston loophole’ closed.

Today’s vote moves us one step closer to making gun ownership safer.

— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) March 11, 2021

In February, President Joe Biden called on Congress to strengthen gun laws on the third anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneham Douglas High School in 2018. 

Many lawmakers posted their support of the bills on social media.

Today we #WearOrange to end preventable gun violence. With the passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act & the Enhanced Background Checks Act, I’m honoring the lives that have been taken from us by voting for commonsense solutions to save lives.

— Rep. Lauren Underwood (@RepUnderwood) March 11, 2021

We lose 40,000 lives to gun violence each year.

There are common-sense solutions to this epidemic — that’s why I’m an enthusiastic yes vote for HR8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. pic.twitter.com/qxV0BheOtf

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) March 11, 2021