A letter to the editor published in The Express-Times urges the passage of House Bill 1010, which seeks to close a legal loophole related to private sales of long guns. These weapons sales are exempt from background checks that keep guns out of dangerous hands.
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A recent analysis of Missouri crime statistics from Johns Hopkins University researchers indicates that the 2007 repeal of a long-standing law requiring background checks and licenses for all handgun owners was correlated with a 23% increase in gun homicide rates. None of the state’s neighbors experienced a similar increase.
It’s clear that background checks save lives. HB 1010 is now before the Pennsylvania Legislature and should be made into law.