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gun laws are worthless without enforcement.

Steve

Well-known member
A bipartisan group of senators has announced a deal to crack down on illegal trafficking and straw purchases of firearms.

Given broad opposition to renewing the federal assault weapons ban and the lack of a bipartisan deal to expand background checks, the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act has perhaps the best chance of any gun-violence measure of passing the 113th Congress.

“These guns are frequently sold, resold and trafficked across state lines resulting in the proliferation of illegal firearms in our communities,” said Collins on the Senate floor. “Straw purchasing and gun trafficking put guns in the hands of criminals.”

The bill strengthens the law prohibiting material false statements in connection with purchasing a firearm and strengthens penalties for purchasing a gun with intent to transfer it to someone involved in violent crime or drug trafficking.

It would also outlaw illegal purchasers of firearms from smuggling weapons out of the country.

“The bill creates new specific criminal offenses for straw purchasing and the trafficking in firearms,” Collins said. “Instead of a slap on the wrist or treating this as if it were simply a paperwork violation, these crimes in our bill would be punishable by up to 25 years in prison.”

The legislation is largely based on a bill introduced earlier this year by Leahy and one Gillibrand has been working on for the past four years. It cracked down on both the sale and purchase of guns likely to be used in crimes and lowered the mens rea threshold for prosecuting offenses. Sellers and purchasers can be found guilty if they think — instead of know — the firearms will be used in crimes.

“The practice of straw purchasing is used for one thing — to put firearms into the hands of those that are prohibited by law from having them. Many are then used to further violent crimes,” Leahy said in a statement.

it is clear when several guns used in crime are bought by the same person that there is a problem...

and most gun dealers already notify the ATF when they see this behavior,... so in reality while this law may help... it is the ATF who needs to start doing their job,... and not running a political agenda..
 
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