On Thursday March 7, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Patrick Leahy is the chairperson, voted 11 to 7, along party lines, to approve an amended version of the bill, enabling it to be voted upon by the full U.S. Senate. Republican Senator Richard Grassley voted to approve the bill after the committee accepted his amendment that adds language to the bill that prevents the U.S. government from acting as a de facto gun purchaser as it did in the infamous "Fast and Furious" debacle, which put American firearms into the possession of murderous Mexican drug cartels.
Most importantly, the text of the bill below adds a lot of vague language to the existing federal statute, about which some serious questions need to be asked regarding its intent . At its core though, this bill increases the federal penalty for straw purchase gun buying from ten (10) years to twenty (20) years, and adds property forfeiture provisions as well. However, some news reports also indicate that after review by the Senate Judiciary Committee, they increased the maximum penalty to twenty-five (25) years. The amended version of this bill has not yet been made available on the U.S. Senate web sites for verification of such changes and details.
What is important though, is that these misguided legislators seem to believe that increasing the maximum penalty from ten years in federal prison and a $250,000.00 fine to twenty-five years is somehow going to deter a criminal straw purchaser who wasn't already deterred by the potential ten year prison term. It seems absurd to believe that a drug addict straw purchaser willing to buy a gun for a criminal in return for money or drugs is going to pay any attention to either the existing statute or an even more onerous one. This sort of legislation is just political grandstanding designed to enable those who propose and support it, to later tell their constituents they accomplished something, even though what they accomplished isn't going to reduce violence in America, whether committed with a firearm or any other kind of weapon, isn't going to stop the sorts of people who make straw purchases of firearms from doing so, and isn't going to prevent the sort of mass shooting massacres that inspired the bill in the first place.
U.S. Senate Bill S. 54
the existing federal firearms restriction statute
S 54 IS
January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2013
Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
- This Act may be cited as the `Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013'.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
- Sec. 1. Short title.
- Sec. 2. Table of contents.
- Sec. 3. Punishing and deterring straw purchasing of firearms.
- Sec. 4. Amendments to section 922(a)(6).
- Sec. 5. Amendments to section 922(d).
- Sec. 6. Amendments to section 924(h).
- Sec. 7. Amendments to section 924(k).
SEC. 3. PUNISHING AND DETERRING STRAW PURCHASING OF FIREARMS.
- (a) In General- Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`Sec. 932. Straw purchasing of firearms
- `(a) Any person (other than a licensed importer, licensed
manufacturer, or licensed dealer) who knowingly purchases any firearm
for, on behalf of, or with intent to transfer it to, any other person,
if that firearm has moved in or otherwise affected interstate or foreign
commerce, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be fined under this
title, imprisoned not more than 20 years or both. For purposes of this
section, the term `purchases' includes the receipt of any firearm from
pawn or on consignment by a person who does not own the firearm.
- `(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to any firearm that is lawfully purchased by a person--
- `(1) to be given as a bona fide gift to a recipient who
provided no service or tangible thing of value to acquire the firearm,
unless the person knows or has reason to believe such recipient is
prohibited by Federal, State, or local law from possessing, receiving,
selling, shipping, transporting, transferring, or otherwise disposing of
the firearm; or
- `(2) to be given to a bona fide winner of an organized
raffle, contest, or auction conducted in accordance with law and
sponsored by a national, State, or local organization or association,
unless the person knows or has reason to believe such recipient is
prohibited by Federal, State, or local law from possessing, purchasing,
receiving, selling, shipping, transporting, transferring, or otherwise
disposing of the firearm.
- `(c) If any violation of subsection (a) is committed
knowing or with reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved
will be used to commit a crime of violence, the person shall be
sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than 30 years.
`Sec. 933. Forfeiture and fines
- `(a)(1) Any person convicted of a violation of this chapter
shall forfeit to the United States, irrespective of any provision of
State law--
- `(A) any property constituting, or derived from, any
proceeds the person obtained, directly or indirectly, as the result of
such violation; and
- `(B) any of the person's property used, or intended to
be used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to facilitate the
commission of, such violation.
- `(2) The court, in imposing sentence on a person convicted
of a violation of this chapter, shall order, in addition to any other
sentence imposed pursuant to this chapter, that the person forfeit to
the United States all property described in paragraph (1).
- `(b) A defendant who derives profits or other proceeds from
an offense under this chapter may be fined not more than the greater
of--
- `(1) the fine otherwise authorized by this part; and
- `(2) the amount equal to twice the gross profits or other proceeds of the offense under this chapter.'.
- (b) Title III Authorization- Section 2516(1)(n) of title
18, United States Code, is amended by striking `and 924(n)' and
inserting `, 924, and 932'.
- (c) Racketeering Amendment- Section 1961(1)(B) of title 18,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`section 932 (relating to trafficking in firearms),'.
- (d) Money Laundering Amendment- Section 1956(c)(7)(D) of
title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking `section 924(n)'
and inserting `sections 924(n) and 932'.
- (e) Directive to Sentencing Commission- Pursuant to its
authority under section 994 of title 28, United States Code, and in
accordance with this section, the United States Sentencing Commission
shall review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to ensure
that persons convicted of an offense under section 932 of title 18,
United States Code and other offenses applicable to the straw purchases
of firearms are subject to increased penalties in comparison to those
currently provided by the guidelines and policy statements for such
straw purchasing offenses. In carrying out this subsection, the
Commission shall ensure that the sentencing guidelines and policy
statements reflect Congress' intent that the applicable guideline
penalties be increased and the guidelines and policy statements reflect
the extremely serious nature of the offenses described in the amendment
made by subsection (a), the incidence of such offenses, and the need for
an effective deterrent and appropriate punishment to prevent such
offenses.
- (f) Technical and Conforming Amendment- The table of
sections of chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
- `932. Straw purchasing of firearms.
- `933. Forfeiture and fines.'.
SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 922(a)(6).
- Section 922(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
- `For purposes of paragraph (6), in addition to the
eligibility of a person to ship, transport, receive, or possess any
firearm or ammunition, information concerning the identity, age, place
of residence (to include address), and citizenship or immigration status
of a person shall be considered material to the lawfulness of the sale
or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition'.
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 922(d).
- Section 922(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
- (1) in paragraph (8), by striking `or' at the end;
- (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and inserting `;'; and
- (3) by striking the matter following paragraph (9) and inserting the following:
- `(10) is prohibited by State or local law from
possessing, receiving, selling, shipping, transporting, transferring, or
otherwise disposing of the firearm or ammunition;
- `(11) intends to sell or otherwise dispose of the
firearm or ammunition to a person described in any of paragraphs (1)
through (10); or
- `(12) intends to sell or otherwise dispose of the
firearm or ammunition in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug
trafficking offense or to export the firearm or ammunition in violation
of law.
- This subsection shall not apply with respect to the sale or
disposition of a firearm or ammunition to a licensed importer, licensed
manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector who pursuant to
subsection (b) of section 925 is not precluded from dealing in firearms
or ammunition, or to a person who has been granted relief from
disabilities pursuant to subsection (c) of section 925.'.
SEC. 6. AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 924(h).
- Section 924 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (h) and inserting the following:
- `(h)(1) Whoever knowingly receives or transfers a firearm
or ammunition, or attempts or conspires to do so, knowing or having
reasonable cause to believe that such firearm or ammunition will be used
to commit a crime of violence (as defined in subsection (c)(3)), a drug
trafficking crime (as defined in subsection (c)(2)), or a crime under
the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.), or section
212(a)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(a)(2)(C)) shall be imprisoned not more than 30 years, fined in
accordance with this title, or both.
- `(2) No term of imprisonment imposed on a person under this
subsection shall run concurrently with any term of imprisonment imposed
on the person under section 932.'.
SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 924(k).
- Section 924 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (k) and inserting the following:
- `(k)(1) A person who, with intent to engage in or to promote conduct that--
- `(A) is punishable under the Controlled Substances Act
(21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act
(21 U.S.C. 951 et seq.), or chapter 705 of title 46;
- `(B) violates any law of a State relating to any
controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled
Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. 802); or
- `(C) constitutes a crime of violence (as defined in subsection (c)(3)),
- smuggles or knowingly brings into the United States, a
firearm or ammunition, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be
imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined under this title, or both.
- `(2) A person who, with intent to engage in or to promote conduct that--
- `(A) would be punishable under the Controlled
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Controlled Substances Import
and Export Act (21 U.S.C. 951 et seq.), or chapter 705 of title 46, if
the conduct had occurred within the United States; or
- `(B) would constitute a crime of violence (as defined
in subsection (c)(3)) for which the person may be prosecuted in a court
of the United States, if the conduct had occurred within the United
States,
- smuggles or knowingly takes out of the United States, a
firearm or ammunition, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be
imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined under this title, or both.'.
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