U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today introduced three amendments to the Fiscal Year 2017 Criminal Justice Science Appropriations Bill that would strengthen existing gun safety regulations, crack down on illegal gun trafficking, and give federal law enforcement the tools necessary to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.
“Every time a mass shooting happens somewhere in America, we hear the same calls for better, stronger gun laws, and nearly every time, the gun industry and its powerful lobby do whatever they can to block these bills,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The only way we can change this is if Congress fulfills its responsibility to protect the American people and passes new laws to close loopholes that allow traffickers and terrorists to buy guns. Today I introduced three pieces of legislation that would go a long way toward helping us keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. No one should have to go through his or her daily life in fear that an angry, hateful citizen can easily buy and use a weapon of war on innocent Americans. I will continue to fight for these and other provisions on the Senate floor, and I will keep urging all of my colleagues to do the same.”
Senator Gillibrand introduced Amendment Number 4765, the bipartisan Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act, with Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL). This provision would crack down on the flow of illegal guns to New York by making gun trafficking a federal crime and providing law enforcement with the tools to get illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous criminals.
Senator Gillibrand also introduced Amendment Number 4771, which would give federal law enforcement officials the ability to implement and enforce a rule requiring gun dealers to conduct and maintain an inventory of all of their firearms. This would help identify the gun dealers who are trafficking illegal guns and selling them on the black market. Under current law, gun dealers are not required to keep physical inventories, making it impossible to track when firearms are lost, stolen, or sold on the black market.
Senator Gillibrand’s third amendment, Amendment Number 4773, would repeal a current rule that prohibits federal law enforcement from classifying military-style guns as “non-sporting.” The current rule makes it difficult to prevent certain dangerous guns from ending up in the hands of criminals. These weapons have the ability to hold a high-capacity magazine, laser sights, or other features that are not intended for hunting purposes. Senator Gillibrand’s amendment would allow federal law enforcement officials to ban military-style guns from being imported into the United States.
Last week, Senator Gillibrand joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and others on the Senate floor to speak out against gun violence and demand a vote on commonsense gun safety legislation.