Casten, Kelly Introduce Bill to End Flow of Illegal Guns into Illinois
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Robin Kelly (IL-02) introduced the Gun Trafficker Detection Act to help end the flow of illegal guns into Illinois by requiring gun owners to report if their gun is lost or stolen within 24 hours.
“Illinoisans deserve to be safe and protected against gun violence,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “While Illinois has strong gun safety laws, they are often undermined by the insufficient laws of neighboring states. This allows gun traffickers to bring deadly weapons across state borders and deliver them into the hands of those who should not have them. The Gun Trafficker Detection Act helps law enforcement address this issue with the seriousness it demands and prevents needless deaths caused in our communities by trafficked weapons.”
“Gun violence doesn’t care about state borders,” said Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “Anyone can buy, or order online, guns from a neighboring state with weak gun laws and bring them into Illinois to inflict harm. We need federal laws, like the Gun Trafficker Detection Act, to fix the patchwork of state gun safety laws to protect everyone.”
“Every year, thousands of lost and stolen weapons go unreported to law enforcement, threatening the safety of our communities and children,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence. “Make no mistake, losing a firearm is not the same as losing your wallet or car keys — there are very real, potentially deadly consequences when firearms end up in the wrong hands. Gun owners have a responsibility to look after their firearms and inform law enforcement when they are stolen. Brady thanks Rep. Casten for reintroducing the Gun Trafficker Detection Act, to help law enforcement develop investigative leads and take down gun traffickers that jeopardize public safety.”
"Holding gun traffickers responsible for the damage their illegal gun sales wreak on communities is critical in the fight to address gun violence,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director at GIFFORDS. “Representative Casten’s bill would disrupt gun trafficking operations by allowing police to act on real time information, protecting the public in the process. Any responsible gun owner would agree with this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it move forward in this Congress."
In Illinois in 2022, guns trafficked across state lines comprised about 51% 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 primary source of stolen firearms is theft from private citizens' vehicles, homes, and persons. While more than 95% of stolen guns originate via thefts from private citizens, federal laws and most states do not require private individuals to report the theft of a firearm. The Gun Trafficker Detection Act is poised to prevent further trafficking of illegal guns and decrease the number of violent crimes involving guns by requiring gun owners to report if their gun is lost or stolen.
The Gun Trafficker Detection Act would help end gun trafficking and future violent crimes related to gun violence in the US. While federal law requires firearm dealers to report firearms that are lost or stolen from their inventory to local authorities and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it does not currently require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement.
Specifically, the Gun Trafficker Detection Act would prevent further trafficking of illegal guns by:
- Requiring gun owners to report their gun lost or stolen within 48 hours.
- 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.
- Making traffickers liable for any damage done by their guns.
- Prohibiting repeat violators from purchasing a gun for 5 years.
- Creating a web-based portal to report a firearm as missing or stolen.
The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Magaziner, Norton, McIver, Titus, Velazquez, Yvette Clarke, Goldman, Brown, Foushee, DelBene, Scanlon, Krishnamoorthi, Thanedar, Evans, Watson Coleman, Dean, and Moulton.
The legislation is endorsed by Brady: United Against Gun Violence and Giffords.
The text of the bill can be found here.
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