Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in support of the Background Check Expansion Act, Senator Chris Murphy’s (D-Conn.) bill to require background checks on all gun sales and transfers:

“Universal background checks are a commonsense approach to address the gun violence epidemic plaguing our country. I’m proud to support the Background Check Expansion Act and look forward to passing it and other much-needed reforms.

“This bill would require background checks on all gun sales and transfers, including for private and unlicensed sales for which they are not currently required. This is one of the best ways to ensure guns won’t fall into the hands of dangerous people.

“The majority of Americans want universal background checks. A 2019 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 89 percent of Americans support background checks for all potential gun purchases.

“I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to pass this bill and other reforms, including the assault weapons ban that I plan to introduce in the coming weeks. Commonsense bills to combat gun violence have been introduced in the House and with a new administration in the White House, it’s time to take action to end gun violence.”