Durbin Report: The Scourge of Gun Violence in America
Fellow Illinoisans,
Every day, 297 people are shot by guns in America and 89 die from their injuries. By one count, there have been at least 352 mass shootings in America so far this year – more than one per day. America’s schools have seen more than 50 shootings this year.
These numbers are horrifying.
This cannot simply be accepted as normal.
Yesterday, I met with representatives from Americans for Responsible Solutions to discuss legislation I’ve cosponsored to crack down on gun trafficking. Founded by former Representative Gabby Giffords and her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, Americans for Responsible Solutions works to prevent gun violence and encourage responsible gun ownership.
Click here to watch my remarks from my meeting with Americans for Responsible Solutions.
To combat the scourge of gun violence in our communities, I’ve joined several of my colleagues in introducing common sense legislation to prevent gun violence and save lives.
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Suspected Terrorists
Last week, I joined some of my colleagues in urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan to quickly schedule votes on legislation that would close an egregious loophole and prevent individuals on the Federal Terrorist Watchlist from being able to purchase firearms and explosives. Suspected terrorists who we consider too dangerous to board airplanes should not be able to walk into any gun store in the United States and purchase a firearm or an explosive for the purpose of carrying out a terrorist act.
Tracing Crime Guns
To help crack down on gun violence and gun trafficking, earlier this year I introduced the Crime Gun Tracing Act, legislation that encourages law enforcement agencies to take full advantage of crime gun tracing resources offered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Increasing the use of crime gun tracing can help generate leads in criminal investigations and reveal how guns are trafficked into criminals’ hands.
According to the ATF, although it costs police departments nothing to use federal crime gun tracing resources, many police departments across the country aren’t taking full advantage of this basic tool in fighting gun violence. I am working to ensure that every law enforcement agency that has not already signed up to use ATF’s tracing resources will do so.
Stemming the Flow of Illegal Guns
A recent New York Times article found over 50,000 guns fall into the hands of criminals across state lines each year, with many more likely crossing state lines undetected. Despite being one of the key drivers of gun violence in Illinois, currently there is no federal law specifically prohibiting gun trafficking. To crack down on the daily flow of illegal guns, I joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Mark Kirk in introducing a bill that would make gun trafficking a federal crime and provide tools to law enforcement to get illegal guns off the streets.
Enough is enough. It’s time to summon the political will and act on gun violence.
Sincerely,
Dick Durbin
United States Senator
Previous Article Next Article