CBS19

More than 130 members of the U.S House want the U.S. Senate to take up legislation on background checks that passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this year.

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger joined 131 other members of the House to sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a vote on legislation that passed the House in February.

According to a release, the Background Checks Act would require the same background check standard for all gun purchases.

Another bill, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, would close what has become known as the “Charleston loophole,” which allowed Dylan Roof to buy a gun before he killed eight people in a South Carolina church in 2015.

“Just this week, we witnessed yet another tragedy, the shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California,” stated the letter to McConnell. “Sadly, it is only the latest example of the gun violence plaguing our country or Orinda to Dayton, Chicago to El Paso, Virginia Beach to Charlotte, and many other communities that never make the headlines.”

The letter demands the McConnell act on the bills.

Spanberger is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was created in Congress following the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Scroll down to read the full letter:

Dear Leader McConnell:

We strongly urge you to vote on and pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

Just this week, we witnessed yet another tragedy—the shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Sadly, it is only the latest example of the gun violence plaguing our country from Orinda to Dayton, Chicago to El Paso, Virginia Beach to Charlotte, and many other communities that never make the headlines. You cannot allow such senseless loss of life to continue unabated. You must act.

More than 260 days ago, the House Democratic Majority acted decisively, on a bipartisan basis, and with the support of more than 90 percent of the American people to pass legislation that addresses our nation’s epidemic of gun violence. Since then, you have taken no action on these life-saving measures in the Senate. This delay is unconscionable.

Background checks save lives. Every day, our background check system stops more than 170 felons and 50 domestic abusers from acquiring a firearm. Every day the Senate fails to act increases the likelihood these dangerous individuals can get a gun and lives will be lost.

Again, we urge you to hold a vote on H.R 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. You can still do the right thing for our communities. The eyes of our nation and of history are on you. Thank you for your attention to this grave matter of urgency.