WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday requested the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) provide updates on the implementation of provisions in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law in June.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Murphy requested updates on the distribution of funds for Extreme Risk Protection Order programs and community violence intervention initiatives, efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted domestic violence abusers, plans to communicate with federal firearms licensees about their responsibilities, and confirmation that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is processing background checks for under-21 buyers.

Murphy highlighted the urgency of DOJ’s implementation of these core provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: “Since the BSCA’s passage, the country has experienced an alarmingly high number of shootings, many of which have gripped the public’s consciousness. As I have noted, the BSCA contains several commonsense reforms which could have prevented some of these acts of violence had Congress acted sooner. Now that the BSCA is law, we cannot afford to waste any time implementing the law’s life-saving provisions.”

In a letter to ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, Murphy requested updates on ATF’s work to ensure convicted domestic violence abusers do not illegally purchase firearms, communicate with federal arms licensees what facts would give them reason to believe a purchaser is engaged in gun trafficking, ensure all appropriate firearms sellers properly register for a Federal Firearms License as well as what steps are being taken to further clarify which sellers are “engaged in the business.” Murphy also requested updates on ATF’s plans to communicate with licensed dealers to expedite delayed background checks and retrieve firearms mistakenly sold to prohibited purchasers, enforce new ghost gun regulations, develop the Bureau’s data analytics capacity, investigate online gun marketplaces for illegal activity, work with licensed gun dealers to identify and remedy security weaknesses, and reduce and prevent gun-involved suicides.

“It is no secret that the survivors, families, and advocates who built the gun violence prevention movement have been eagerly awaiting a confirmed Director to lead ATF. That your confirmation coincided with the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act demonstrates that ordinary people across the country will no longer tolerate the status quo of daily gun violence, mass shootings, and suicides, fueled by weak firearm regulation and lax enforcement,” Murphy wrote to Director Dettelbach. “Congress and the President have given the Bureau substantial authority and responsibility to prevent more violence, keep guns out of the wrong hands, and hold criminals accountable to the law.”

Full text of the letter to Attorney General Garland is available here.

Full text of the letter to Director Dettelbach is available here.

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