Senators Strike Deal To Strengthen Gun Trafficking Laws

By Alan with comments March 4, 2013 23:15

Gun trafficking and straw purchasing would be federal crimes.

“The practice of straw purchasing is used for one thing — to put firearms into the hands of those that are prohibited by law from having them. Many are then used to further violent crimes,” [Senator Patrick] Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement.

The bill will not only punish someone who acts as the straw purchaser — an individual who purchases a firearm for a person who is barred from owning one —it also will punish sellers who have a “‘reasonable cause to believe the firearm will be used in criminal activity,” Leahy said.