Too little has been done to combat illegal gun trafficking. It is simply too easy for gun traffickers to arm dangerous criminals because of weak laws at the federal and state level. Many reasonable steps can be taken to dry up the illegal gun market.

If we make it harder for criminals to get guns, there will be fewer gun violence victims killed and injured.

We have a sensible 3 point plan to make a difference:

1.  Strengthen law enforcement tools to crack down on corrupt gun dealers and Curb Illegal Gun Trafficking.
The NRA often argues that we don't need new laws, we just need to enforce the ones we have. The problem is, we aren't enforcing the ones we have and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) does not have the tools needed to do so. Congress needs to repeal irrational legal constraints that have tied ATF's hands in enforcing the law against dealers who feed the illegal market. And state legislatures and local governments need to give state and local law enforcement new tools to combat gun trafficking. Read more.

2.  Extend Brady Background checks to all gun sales.
Since the enactment of the Brady Law over 10 years ago, more than 1.3 million felons and other prohibited purchasers have been blocked from buying guns from licensed gun dealers. As important as the Brady Law is, it only applies to sales by licensed gun dealers, and four out of every ten guns are sold by unlicensed dealers with no background check at all. State legislatures must extend Brady background checks to all gun sales, wherever they occur. Congress must pass a federal law. Our national policy should be no background check, no sale, no excuses. Read more.

3.  Stop large-volume gun sales that supply traffickers.
It is possible in most states for "straw purchasers" and traffickers to buy unlimited numbers of guns to sell to the illegal market. This must stop. State legislatures need to limit the number of guns a person can buy. Congress must pass national limits. A person who buys a dozen guns at a time is not buying them for hunting, but for resale to criminals on the streets. Read more.

Statement of Sarah Brady on the need to crack down on rogue gun dealers.

By helping to keep guns out of the wrong hands, the Brady Campaign and Brady Center's campaign against gun trafficking will save lives and make our neighborhoods safer.

Click on the thumbnails to see graphic explanations of the problem of illegal gun trafficking in the USA:	How Congress has Allowed Illegal Guns to Flood America. The Campaign Against Illegal Guns Overview.	Bad Apple Dealers Victimize our Cities	Criminals and the Gun Dealers Who Arm Them
The Deadly Circle of Gun & Drug Trafficking	1.7 Million Crime Guns	Percent of Gun Dealers Responsible for Crime Guns	Top Five Crime Gun Dealers in America

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Extend Brady Background Checks To All Gun Sales To Curb Illegal Sales Large-Volume Gun Sales: The Illegal Gun Trafficker's Best Friend Strengthening Law Enforcement's Tools To Crack Down on Corrupt Gun Dealers and Curb Illegal Gun Trafficking Fighting the Problem of Illegal Guns in the States

Regulating Guns in America Guns and Terror: How Terrorists Exploit Our Weak Gun Laws Smoking Guns: Exposing the Gun Industry's Complicity in the Illegal Gun Market The Legal Action Project: related articles and important cases A Focused National Strategy to Address the Scourge of Illegal Guns

NRA's opposition is misguided: Requiring the reporting of lost guns would hurt only criminals. (Philadelphia Inquirer) States must unite to put an end to illegal gun trafficking (New York Daily News) Editorial: The Wrong Friends (New York Times) South Florida gun shops function as enforcers of laws (Florida Sun-Sentinel) Deepen gun ownership (Dallas Morning News)

Which Gun Dealers Contribute The Most To The Illegal Market? (Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence) Selling Crime: High Crime Gun Stores Fuel Criminals (Americans for Gun Safety Foundation) Buying a handgun for someone else: firearm dealer willingness to sell (UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California) Relationship between licensing, registration, and other gun sales laws and the source state of crime guns (Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins University) Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearms Traffickers (Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms)