CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE AUTHORS NEW LEGISLATION TO COMBAT GUN TRAFFICKING AND REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE

(Rochester, N.Y.) — Today, Congressman Joe Morelle announced he has authored and introduced new legislation to crack down on gun trafficking and keep illegal weapons off our streets. The State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act enhances state oversight capabilities for gun dealers and incentivizes states to implement strong gun dealer licensing regulations in order to reduce gun theft and, in turn, reduce gun violence. This legislation is sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D, HI) in the Senate.

“At a time when our community is perpetually grieving the loss of innocent lives to gun violence, we must take decisive action to get illegal guns off our streets and keep families safe,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “I am proud to introduce this common-sense legislation, which is the culmination of numerous discussions with law enforcement, government partners, and community stakeholders. It will help reduce gun theft and gun trafficking, reduce crime and, most importantly, reduce the senseless violence plaguing our neighborhoods.”

Brady President Kris Brown said, “Every year, hundreds of thousands of firearms are diverted from the legal market into the illegal market, only to eventually be recovered in crimes. Taking steps to intervene in this process is critical to preventing gun violence. Brady is proud to support this bill, which will give states the resources needed to strengthen gun industry oversight, ensure firearms are sold responsibly, and hold members of the gun industry accountable when they break the law. Increasing state-led oversight is a proven method to decrease gun trafficking and Brady is grateful to Rep. Morelle and Sen. Schatz for introducing this critical piece of legislation.”

Adzi Vokhiwa, Federal Affairs Director at Giffords, said, "Gun trafficking is a major problem in the United States, with trafficked guns being used regularly to terrorize communities across the nation. Improving oversight of federally licensed firearms dealers and expanding state-level firearm dealer licensing programs will target a major source of trafficked guns and help keep weapons out of the wrong hands. We thank Representative Morelle for his leadership on this issue."

Greg Jackson, Executive Director of Community Justice Action Fund, said, “For years, the fight against gun violence at our nation’s only firearms enforcement agency has been underfunded, leaving state and local officials on the frontlines of this public health crisis without the support needed to prevent thousands of firearms from going unaccounted for each year. Firearm dealer licensing programs, like those provided for in this important legislation, will help states across the country hold bad-faith dealers accountable and curb the illegal gun trafficking that is fueling the gun violence epidemic in communities across the country. We applaud Congressman Morelle for his leadership on this issue and urge Congress to pass the State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act as soon as possible.

In 2020, more than 492 gun shops were robbed nationwide, releasing thousands of guns onto the streets that were later traced to instances of violent crime. In fact, over 30% of gun identified in a crime have been stolen. The State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act takes steps to prevent these weapons from being stolen in the first place by enhancing state gun dealer licensing and oversight requirements.

Specifically, the State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act would establish a grant program for states to develop or improve firearm dealer licensing programs. These funds would allow states to put additional resources towards conducting gun dealer inspections, as well as invest in new technologies and systems that will optimize existing inspection and licensing regimes.

To be eligible for the grants under this bill, states must have a licensing regime in place that meets the following requirements:

• Federal firearm licensees (FFLs) must be licensed to engage in the business of selling firearms, and their licenses must be renewed at least every three years;
• FFLs must submit to inspections;
• If an FFL is found to be in noncompliance, the state must have the ability to suspend or revoke the license and impose civil penalties or criminal charges on the dealer.

This legislation builds on previous action Congressman Morelle has taken to reduce gun violence, including: voting to ban assault weapons nationwide, calling on the United States Department of Justice to lead a multi-agency response to the rise in violence in Rochester, chairing a hearing of the Rules Committee to address gun trafficking, voting to enact universal background checks on all gun sales, and more.

For more information on the State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act, read the full text of the bill here.