WXXI - U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) says a bill she has introduced and reintroduced for the past 13 years is included in the bipartisan gun safety framework introduced last weekend.
During a news conference this week, Gillibrand said her bill, first introduced in 2009 would make trafficking in firearms a federal crime. She said this is needed because guns from states with lax gun laws are flooding into states with strong gun laws, like New York.
“As a result, law enforcement and prosecutors are having to rely on a patchwork of state regulations to crack down on criminal networks, said Gillibrand. “And that makes prosecutions difficult and convictions nearly impossible. This deal would help change that once and for all.”
Gillibrand’s legislation is named after two teenage victims, one a 17-year old girl who was killed at a pre-graduation dance party when she was shot by a perpetrator using an illegally trafficked gun in Brooklyn.
“It makes gun trafficking a federal crime. And it makes sure there are penalties for the kingpins and people who are running these trafficking rings so that we can actually allow law enforcement to track and arrest them and hold them accountable,” she said.
The Senate framework falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. It still needs 60 votes to pass in the Senate, but Gillibrand said she is confident that it has enough support to pass.