WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Friday released the following statement on news that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has successfully denied more than 500 illegal gun purchases by prospective buyers through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s enhanced background check for buyers under 21 years of age.

“The evidence is clear: the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is working. More than 500 illegal gun purchases were stopped solely because of our legislation’s enhanced background check for under-21 buyers. It can be difficult to measure success in terms of tragedies prevented, but there is no doubt that stopping these 500 guns from landing in the hands of someone who poses a danger to themselves or others has saved lives. This milestone is just one example of how our bill has kept people safe – a big drop in the murder rate, hundreds of new gun trafficking prosecutions, and hundreds of denials for firearm purchases by dangerous individuals. We know what works, and I’ll keep pushing for more commonsense gun safety legislation,” said Murphy.

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