Washington, DC - On Thursday, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will convene a forum on the flow of illegal guns on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border. Law enforcement officials have testified that improvements to our nation’s gun laws are needed to address this increasingly devastating problem, including enhanced penalties for illegal straw purchases, the enactment of a firearms trafficking statute, and a reporting requirement for the purchase of multiple long guns, such as fifty caliber assault weapons and multiple AK variants.
Cummings will issue a report with recommendations to provide U.S. law enforcement with the tools needed to address gun trafficking.
Recent editorials in the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times reiterate the need for basic, common-sense improvements to assist law enforcement officials counter violence by international drug cartels operating along the southwest border.
WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. EST
WHERE: Capitol Visitor Center South Congressional Meeting Room - CVC 217
WHO: The following individuals will appear:
* Senator Charles Schumer (NY)
* Michael R. Bouchard, former Assistant Director Field Operations, ATF
* Thomas Mahoney, Assistant State’s Attorney Supervisor, Gang Prosecution Unit, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
* Eric Olson, Senior Associate, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
* Kristen Rand, Legislative Director, Violence Policy Center
* Paul Helmke, President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
* Colby Goodman, Author of “U.S. Firearms Trafficking to Mexico: New Data and Insights Illuminate Key Trends and Challenges"
** Photogs and cameras - please email jennifer.hoffman@mail.house.gov for set-up instructions. **
