Congressman Joe Morelle, Chairman of the Rules Committee’s Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process, hosted a June 15 subcommittee hearing on “Tools to Combat Gun Trafficking and Reduce Gun Violence in Our Communities.” The hearing focused on exploring actions that Congress can take to better combat gun trafficking and ensure that illegal guns do not make their way onto the streets of our communities, where they are too often used in violent crime.
“Our nation is perpetually grieving the loss of innocent lives to mass shootings and neighborhood violence, which have become all too common in our communities. I hosted this hearing because enough is enough: it’s time to act and take long overdue action to keep our families safe,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Our thoughtful discussion and expert testimony outlined comprehensive actions we can take to address gun trafficking, strengthen regulations on gun shops, and better protect our streets from the devastation of gun violence. I look forward to working with my colleagues to adopt these measures and continue building on our efforts to keep guns out of the hands of those who intend to do harm.”
Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter was among the witnesses called to testify at the hearing. He offered input to the subcommittee regarding gaps in current laws that hinder the ability of law enforcement to take crucial actions to reduce the number of guns entering the illegal market and maintain public safety. He also asked for strengthened accountability for those responsible for the theft and commerce of illegal firearms.
A press release from Baxter’s office stated: “We recognize that in our community, almost all gun shop owners are responsible and take necessary steps to secure and keep track of his inventory. Unfortunately, several years ago this community experienced an outlier who recklessly allowed hundreds of guns to be stolen from their inventory. Shortly after this event, Sheriff Baxter initiated conversation about how our laws lack the tools to protect the community from this outlier.”
“In my 35 years in law enforcement, I have seen first-hand the consequences of the use of illegal and stolen guns on victims, their families and the community at large,” said Sheriff Baxter during his testimony. “I am committed to taking any legal action I can to reduce the number of illegal and stolen guns on our streets by suggesting federal support for responsible commercial firearms management, positive gun ownership, and incentivizing responsible gun ownership and management, as opposed to criminalizing individual gun owners and dealers.”
The committee discussed the importance of ensuring that Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has the necessary tools to track and police gun trafficking as well as critical funding streams for gun violence prevention research. The committee also covered elements of H.R. 4423, the Gun Theft Prevention Act, authored by Congressman Morelle.
Specifically, the Gun Theft Prevention Act would:
•Require employees that have access to firearms to pass the same background check as a gun buyer.
•Allow ATF to require gun shop owners to keep an inventory of the firearms in their stock and conduct an annual inventory reconciliation to see if any guns are missing.
•Create strong enforcement mechanisms, including license suspension or revocation, for dealers that repeatedly fail to meet minimum security requirements.
•Authorize an additional 650 ATF personnel dedicated to conducting dealer inspections and enforcement.
•Require individual gun owners to report lost and stolen firearms to local police and the ATF.
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