While most eyes are turned to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control this morning, the first bipartisan gun-control bill of the new Congress will be introduced in the upper chamber.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) will unveil their Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013 that would for the first time make gun trafficking a federal crime.
Over the past three fiscal years, more than 330,000 guns used in violent gun crimes showed telltale signs of black market trafficking, 420,000 firearms were stolen, and thousands of guns with obliterated serial numbers were recovered by law enforcement, the lawmakers said.
The bill would make it illegal to sell or otherwise transfer 2 or more firearms to someone whom the seller knows, or has reasonable cause to know, is prohibited by law from owning a firearm (e.g. felon, convicted domestic abuser); purchase or otherwise acquire 2 or more firearms if the recipient knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that such receipt would be in violation of law; or provide false information on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives firearms transaction record form (e.g. straw purchasing). Exceptions are made for gifts and inheritances.
Harsh penalties proposed by the legislation include a maximum prison penalty of 20 years for the above violations.
Our bipartisan bill will save lives, it is not a Republican or Democratic idea, it is just the right idea,” said Gillibrand. “The absence of any federal law defining gun trafficking in this country is shocking. It is time to give law enforcement the tools they need to keep illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous people.”
“Gun trafficking is allowing gangs and violence to flourish in Chicago,” said Kirk. “The Chicago Crime Commission reported that Chicago Police confiscate an average of 13,000 illegal weapons each year. Last summer, gang violence killed 500 men, women and children in Chicago. We must put a stop to this cycle, which is why I have joined with Senator Gillibrand to take serious action to prevent straw purchases and ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to crack down on illegal weapons trafficking.”
Then I would suggest they bring in Obama and Holder for their crimes of gun running first!
…or get someone to testify that for this effort to be successful, racial profiling of a degree unimaginable and/or one that will result in a responsible law-abiding member of a minority group being killed by a house burglar / wayward relative because he/she was not able to purchase a firearm for their protection in a timely fashion – a twist on the old NRA lynching prevention defense. Then the CBC and CHC members will back off.
More showboating. All that is already illegal; black market gun trafficking is already the province of hardened criminals. Does anyone believe this bill will result in one less black market gun sale?
Our bipartisan bill will save lives, it is not a Republican or Democratic idea, it is just the right idea,” said Gillibrand. “The absence of any federal law defining gun trafficking in this country is shocking. It is time to give law enforcement the tools they need to keep illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous people.”
KABUKI! None of it can save a life. How did the Chicago cops confiscate avg 13,000 illegal guns per year? From crime scenes? Searching people on the streets? Were the majority of those “illegal” guns confiscated before the gun ban was recently overturned and would be legal under current law?
Start with the BATFE.
Anyone else see the story out of Milwaukee where the BATFE set up a fake “head shop” and let one of their fully automatic rifles get stolen?
Mark Kirk. Illinois. Freshly back from a severe stroke. Did a big photo op with his DEMO buddies on the steps of the Capitol.
Isn’t this his first legislation since coming back?
Nice, Mark. Nice. Welcome back. Not.
When Chicago removes the ability for law abiding citizens to defend themselves, why are they so surprised there are more victims?
Our lawmakers continue to demonize law abiding citizens while allowing criminals to run the streets knowing if they do go to jail, they will be out in short order due to prison overcrowding.
I guess nobody said it had to make sense…