Congressman Dan Goldman Fights for Mandated Reporting Requirements on Gun Theft
The ‘Gun Trafficker Detection Act’ Would Require Private Citizens to Report Firearm Theft Within 48 Hours
An Estimated 25 Percent of Guns Stolen from Private Citizens Not Reported to Law Enforcement
Read the Bill Here
Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) in introducing the ‘Gun Trafficker Detection Act,’ which would require gun owners to report if their privately-owned gun is lost or stolen within 48 hours and help law enforcement identify potential gun traffickers.
Despite 95 percent of stolen guns originating from the theft of 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.
“When a privately owned firearm is stolen, that’s not just the loss of property, but also has the potential for fatal consequences in our communities,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Requiring that individuals report the theft of their firearms improves law enforcement’s response to stolen guns and helps protect our communities. This commonsense piece of legislation will save lives and help limit one of the various means through which illegal firearms are trafficked across state lines.”
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.
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.
According to the ATF, between 2017 and 2021, more than one million firearms were stolen from private citizens. During that same time period, less than 300,000 of those stolen firearms were returned. This disparity is only a partial picture of the massive volume of illegal guns falling into the wrong hands each year, a discrepancy that will only grow without federal intervention.
Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to protecting our children, families, and communities by ensuring firearms do not end up in the hands of potentially dangerous individuals.
In August, Goldman cosponsored a package of legislation that both establishes a federal “red flag” program and strengthens state and local efforts to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order laws and the ‘End Gun Violence Act’ to prohibit individuals convicted of a violent misdemeanor from purchasing handguns or ammunition for five years after conviction.
Earlier this week, the Congressman also cosponsored the ‘Bolstering Security Against Ghost Guns Act’ to enhance the United States Department of Homeland Security’s response to the threat posed by unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and easily assembled at home without having to pass a background check.
Congressman Goldman is a Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and is Chair of the Dads Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.
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