Washington, DC -On Wednesday, September 9, 2015, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York), Patrick Meehan (R-Pennsylvania), Elijah E. Cummings (D-Maryland), and Robin Kelly (D-Illinois) will hold a press conference to announce the re-introduction of a bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives to make firearms trafficking a federal crime and impose stronger penalties for “straw purchasers" who buy guns for convicted felons and others who are prohibited from buying guns on their own.
The re-introduction of The Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2015 comes on the heels of a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing tomorrow on violence at the U.S.-Mexico border. In March, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms reported that more than 100,000 guns were recovered in Mexico and submitted for tracing from 2009 to 2014. Of those, 70% originated in the United States.
This legislation directly addresses concerns raised by law enforcement officials who have testified before Congress that a dedicated firearms trafficking statute would help them combat the flow of thousands of firearms to violent criminals, international drug cartels, and a host of other dangerous people.
This bill is also cosponsored by Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), Peter King (R-New York), and Dan Donovan (R-New York).
WHO: Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Patrick Meehan, Elijah E. Cummings, and Robin Kelly
WHAT: Press Availability on Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Gun Trafficking
WHEN: 9:30 am on Wednesday, September 9
WHERE: Hallway outside of 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
