Blumenthal Statement On Senate Judiciary Committee’s Bipartisan Approval Of Legislation To Combat Gun Trafficking

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued a statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s approval of the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013, legislation cosponsored by Blumenthal that gives law enforcement extensive new tools to combat straw purchasing and gun trafficking.
 
“This bipartisan approval of the gun trafficking bill is a major step – reflecting the Newtown tragedy’s call to action and national sense of urgency. I helped to lead this measure because gun trafficking respects no state boundaries and requires a federal legislative fix. Since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been more than 2,000 deaths as a result of gun violence in cities like Bridgeport and Hartford, and across the nation. I hope the Committee will continue to reflect this sense of urgency by approving other anti-gun violence measures, including legislation that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and legislation that would require criminal background checks on all gun sales.”