Little known provision of bipartisan gun law give feds 'teeth' to target illegal gun sales
There is optimism that two lesser known provisions in the bipartisan gun legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law last week will put a dent into the illegal flow of weapons bought through straw purchases and potentially expand the responsibility of gun sellers.
As he stood at a lectern earlier this month to discuss his department’s efforts to “protect communities from violent crime and the gun violence that often drives it,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland rattled off a list of cases his office was pursuing against people who are alleged to have bought guns for themselves and then sold them to others.
In one, a person bought 92 guns from a licensed dealer that were eventually used in crimes, including homicide and drug trafficking. In another, Garland pointed to a 12-person gun trafficking conspiracy that moved more than 90 guns across state lines into Chicago. They were later linked to mass shootings, multiple deaths and injuries.
“We have instructed our federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents to prioritize prosecutions of those who are responsible for the greatest gun violence,” Garland said. That includes “those who illegally traffic in firearms and those who act as straw purchasers.”
His office may soon get some help on that front. There is optimism that two lesser known provisions in the bipartisan gun legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law last week will put a dent into the illegal flow of weapons bought through straw purchases and potentially expand the responsibility of gun sellers.
President Biden signs bipartisan gun bill into lawJune 25, 202201:49The first provision clearly defines straw purchasing — or when a person asks or pays a surrogate to buy a weapon for them — as a crime. It puts in place a severe penalty as well: Up to 15 years or 25 years when tied to drug trafficking.
Rating: 5