5 things to know about Washington's new gun-trafficking bills
A new Senate bill and its counterpart in the House aim to stop gun-trafficking to criminals and drug cartels
1. They target guns sales to criminals in the United States
A new bill introduced this week by a bipartisan group of five senators mirrors legislation unveiled last month by the House, and has one major aim: Limiting gun-trafficking. Of special concern is "straw-purchasing" — when somebody who is legally allowed to own a gun buys a firearm on behalf of someone who did not legally obtain it. This is a big problem in urban areas like Chicago, which, despite having some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, seized 7,400 guns used in crimes in 2012. According to a study by the University of Chicago, 40 percent of police-recovered guns in Chicago in 2012 were legally purchased outside the city limits and in nearby Indiana. Mayors of other other big cities, like New York's Michael Bloomberg, have been clamoring for similar laws for years. Under the new bill, those found guilty of straw-purchasing would be subject to harsher sentences of up to 25 years.
2. They aim to cut off Mexican drug cartels
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While it's very clearly illegal to smuggle guns into the United States, the laws concerning smuggling guns out of the United States are much more vague. The new bill aims to tweak the language in existing laws to change that. This is mainly aimed at stanching the flow of guns through southwestern states into Mexico, where, according to Reuters, 70,000 people have died over the course of the six-year drug war between various cartels. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), one of the authors of the bill, is hoping this change will give federal agents more power to fight gun-smuggling:
3. Both the House and Senate bills are bipartisan
"To the extent that people slow down and take a look at it, read it — unless you're a gun trafficker, unless you're a person who's a straw purchaser, there's really no problem with this," said Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va), one of the two Republican sponsors of the House bill, according to The New York Times. The Senate bill is cosponsored by Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who called current laws "a slap on the wrist" that treat gun-trafficking "as if it were simply a paperwork violation."
4. A gun-trafficking bill has a far better chance of passing than other gun-control measures
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The inclusion of several Republican co-sponsors and the two bills' unsympathetic targets — criminals and drug cartels — have made anti-gun-trafficking the most likely of the new gun-control measures to pass. The bills could gain steam if other Republicans, especially those in suburban and swing districts, sign on. Greg Sargent of The Washington Post sums up liberals' hopes this way:
5. Their passage would be a rare gun-control win for Obama
Unsurprisingly, Obama supports both bills. After his passionate plea during the State of the Union that victims of gun violence "deserve a vote," this might be his best chance at passing substantive gun-control legislation, especially considering both universal background checks and a new assault weapons ban will probably face fierce opposition by conservative Republicans and the NRA.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.
-
Is the Gaza war tearing U.S. campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
14 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published