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Coalition Against Gun Violence |
Originally appeared in Newsletter Vol. x,
No. y, December 1999
Dear Friend:
I have introduced legislation to toughen current federal penalties for gun dealers who fail to maintain records of gun sales. Under current law, gun dealers must keep records of receipt, sale, and disposition of all firearms. These records must be made available to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) under certain circumstances, such as during a criminal investigation.
Currently, failure to maintain records or falsifying records is only a misdemeanor. Prior to 1986, such violations were a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison. My bill would reinstate the stiffer penalties. It is time that we restore record keeping violations to a felony - and that is what my bill does. It is not a new gun law. Instead, it makes the penalties tougher for violations of existing law.
My bill is partially in response to last year's sniper shootings in and around Washington, D.C. and the difficulty law enforcement faced in trying to track the weapon. The Bushmaster rifle used in the shootings was traced to the Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma, Washington. The gun's paper trail stopped there because the dealer had failed to maintain adequate records.
The sloppy record keeping for this particular weapon was not an isolated case. It has been learned that inspectors had uncovered record-keeping violations in audits at Bull's Eye in 1998, 2000 and 2001. A total of 160 missing guns could not be accounted for in the 2000 audit. This type of shoddy record keeping is dangerous. A small percentage of licensed dealers are responsible for a disproportionate number of crime guns. Making the penalties tougher will be a deterrent to violating the law in the first place. It will provide greater incentives for law enforcement to prosecute those who break the law on gun sale records. And it will make it easier for federal and local law enforcement to do their job and track the guns used by criminals.
If you would like to join the join the list of organizations and people who support my legislation, please send a letter of endorsement to my Los Angeles office at 312 North Spring Street, Suite 1748, Los Angeles, CA 90012. If you have questions, please feel free to call Leannah Bradley at my Los Angeles office at 213-894-5000. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
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Copyright © 1999-2007 Coalition Against Gun Violence. All rights reserved.
A Project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
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