CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Representatives Sean Casten and Robin Kelly have introduced the Gun Trafficker Detection Act to require gun owners to report if their gun is lost or stolen within 48 hours.
The legislation aims to prevent further trafficking of illegal guns and decrease the number of violent crimes involving guns by making it harder for traffickers to bring deadly weapons across borders and into the hands of those who should not have them.
According to data, Illinois has taken steps to prevent gun violence. However, these efforts are often undermined by weak gun laws in neighboring states like Indiana and Wisconsin. In 2019, guns trafficked across state lines comprised about 63% of the total number of illegally possessed guns. Theft is a significant avenue through which these illegally possessed firearms are diverted from lawful commerce and ownership into criminal hands.
The Gun Trafficker Detection Act would make traffickers liable for any damage done by their guns and prohibit repeat violators from purchasing a gun for five years. It would also create a web-based portal to report a firearm as missing or stolen, helping law enforcement identify and prosecute gun traffickers who often claim their gun was lost or stolen only once it turns up at a crime scene across state lines.
“No one is safe until all of us are safe,” said Rep. Robin Kelly. “Gun trafficking puts more guns on our streets and in our communities and puts people like my constituents in harm’s way. The Gun Trafficker Detection Act will support local officials to keep our communities safe and help prevent illegal guns from taking more lives.”
The Gun Trafficker Detection Act is endorsed by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Giffords. Casten and Kelly hope that the Gun Trafficker Detection Act will help law enforcement address this issue with the seriousness it demands and prevent needless deaths caused in our communities by trafficked weapons.
