WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (CT-5), along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), announced today the introduction of the Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act. The legislation would create a federal grant program to incentivize state and local governments to enact laws requiring individuals to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun – which have been statistically proven to be effective in reducing firearm homicides and keeping guns out of the hands of prohibited individuals. Earlier today, the John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research released a new white paper detailing the effectiveness of handgun licensing – including fingerprinting and in-person applications – in reducing gun violence.

“When Connecticut passed a permit-to-purchase law we saw gun homicides go down by 40 percent. That’s an astounding number. Our state is working tirelessly to reduce gun violence and save lives,” said Murphy. “This bill helps to reduce violence by encouraging states to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or people who fail a background check. It’s time for Congress to listen to the vast majority of the American public who want action on commonsense gun violence prevention.”  

“The evidence is clear: sensible handgun laws save lives. All states require licenses to drive a car or hunt or fish – so why not handguns, which can kill? Requiring a license to purchase a deadly weapon is at least as important as requiring one to drive a car. A bill as basic as encouraging states to adopt responsible handgun licensing should win broad, bipartisan support,” said Blumenthal.

“It is often said that states are the laboratories of democracy. This is a perfect example of that idea. We know Connecticut’s permit-to-purchase law has saved lives and we need to replicate it on the federal level to bring this commonsense approach to the rest of the country,” said Hayes.

Connecticut and Maryland are among the 9 states that currently have PTP laws on the books. Using mortality data from the Center for Disease Control, a 2015 study by Johns Hopkins University determined that when comparing to similar states with no PTP laws, Connecticut’s PTP law reduced firearm homicides by 40 percent. In 2007, Missouri repealed its requirement that handgun purchasers obtain a PTP and statistics show their state’s gun homicide rate rose by 25 percent.

“Every single day, gun violence tears at the fabric of our families and our communities. And of the thousands of Americans murdered every year by firearms, over 90 percent of those deaths occur with a handgun. Permit-to-purchase laws have been proven to change that, and we should be doing everything we can to encourage states to put these programs in place,” said Van Hollen, who first introduced this legislation in 2015. “States require licenses to drive a car in order to protect public safety – requiring a license to buy a handgun should be a no-brainer.”

“Handgun licensing saves lives for the same reason drivers’ licensing saves lives,” said Raskin. “It takes the dangerous people out of our way as much as possible. That’s why I’m happy to introduce this legislation in the House with Congresswoman Jahana Hayes and to work alongside my Maryland colleague Senator Chris Van Hollen as he pushes this bill in the Senate. When I was in the Maryland State Senate, I worked to pass one of the most comprehensive gun safety laws in the nation, and Maryland now has some of the nation’s best firearm safety laws, including stringent licensing requirements for all handgun purchasers. Since I came to Congress, I’ve been working to bring our best state innovations to the federal level. The Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act will strengthen the federal-state partnership as we advance commonsense gun safety reform.” 

###