Washington, DC - Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings issued the following statement in response to Department of Justice’s announcement of the new reporting measure for multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles in select states along the border.
“This is exactly what ATF agents on the ground told Congress -- that reporting multiple sales of military-grade assault weapons is a crucial tool to identify and disrupt Mexican drug cartels engaged in gun trafficking. I strongly support ATF’s action, and I plan to introduce legislation with Rep. Maloney to establish a dedicated firearms trafficking statute to provide law enforcement with an additional tool to combat gun traffickers. Congress needs to step up to the plate and empower our law enforcement agents with the tools they need to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, protect communities on both sides of the border, and to ensure that they are not outgunned."
Cummings issued an investigative report on June 29 that recommended ATF collect reports of multiple long gun sales based on testimony received from both U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.
