Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., along with senators Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., unveiled Monday a new bill to combat straw purchasing and gun trafficking. The measure will be considered by the Judiciary Committee later this week. The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 provides law enforcement officials with the tools they need to investigate and prosecute the practices of gun trafficking and straw purchasing, where an individual buys a firearm for someone else who is prohibited from obtaining one on their own.
“The absence of any federal law defining gun trafficking as a crime in this country is shocking,” Gillibrand said. “Over the last couple of weeks we have had many constructive meetings discussing how to best give law enforcement the tools they need to keep illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous people. I am pleased that we have reached a bipartisan consensus on a path forward that we expect to reach broad bipartisan support.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., along with senators Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., unveiled Monday a new bill to combat straw purchasing and gun trafficking. The measure will be considered by the Judiciary Committee later this week. The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 provides law enforcement officials with the tools they need to investigate and prosecute the practices of gun trafficking and straw purchasing, where an individual buys a firearm for someone else who is prohibited from obtaining one on their own.
“The absence of any federal law defining gun trafficking as a crime in this country is shocking,” Gillibrand said. “Over the last couple of weeks we have had many constructive meetings discussing how to best give law enforcement the tools they need to keep illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous people. I am pleased that we have reached a bipartisan consensus on a path forward that we expect to reach broad bipartisan support.”
