FALSEHOOD #22: Joe Biden falsely claimed that a gun show loophole allows someone to buy any gun they want without a background check.

He said, “Most people don’t know it: you walk into a store to buy a gun, you have a background check, but if you go to a gun show you can buy whatever you want, no background check.”

Biden made this false claim on April 8, 2021, during a speech.

EXPLANATION: This is false. The sale of a firearm requires a background check regardless of whether they are sold at a gun store or a gun show.

Private firearm sales only require a background check in specific states, but this method of purchase is not exclusive to gun shows, nor is it a loophole.

SOURCES

Evans, Z. (2021, April 20). Psaki backtracks on Biden’s false gun show background check claim. National Review. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.nationalreview.com/news/psaki-backtracks-on-bidens-false-gun-show-background-check-claim/

Farley, R., & Kiely, E. (2021, April 8). Biden’s missteps on gun policies. FactCheck.org. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.factcheck.org/2021/04/bidens-missteps-on-gun-policies/

Sherman, A., & Jacobson, L. (2021, April 8). In gun policy address, Joe Biden exaggerates about background checks at gun shows. Politifact. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/apr/08/joe-biden/gun-policy-address-joe-biden-was-wrong-about-backg/