How Criminals Get Guns and How To Stop Them

CAMPAIGN AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS

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.  Click here to read more.

2.  Extend Brady Background checks to all gun sales.

Since the enactment of the Brady Law over 10 years ago, more than 1.5 million felons and other prohibited purchasers have been blocked from buying guns from licensed gun dealers. Congress should extend Brady criminal background checks to all gun sales, wherever they occur, including at gun shows. Our national policy should be no background check, no gun, 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. Click here to read more.

Click here to read Sarah Brady's statement 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.