5 senators propose gun bill

Measure would toughen penalties

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators proposed a bill Monday to combat illegal gun trafficking, a sign of momentum for one element of President Barack Obama’s initiative to reduce gun violence.

The primary focus of the bill is to combat socalled straw purchasing, in which a person who is legally eligible to buy a gun does so for someone who is prohibited from purchasing or owning a firearm. The proposal would impose stiff penalties for straw purchasers and those who sell to them. It would also explicitly define gun trafficking as a federal crime.

Law enforcement officials have said the absence of such laws has hampered their ability to stop illegal firearms trafficking. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a co-sponsor of the bill and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the “common sense” pro- posal would address those gaps in the law.

“Our bill was drafted at the request of law enforcement,” Leahy said. “It will provide needed tools to fight against the drug cartels and other criminals who threaten our communities. It will not undermine the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners.”

The bill blends two existing anti-trafficking proposals: one introduced by Leahy and Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and the other from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. All four senators co-sponsor the new bill, as do Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine.

With two Republicans on board, the bill now has the most bipartisan support of the major gun bills now before Congress.

The Senate Judiciary committee will deliberate the trafficking bill and other gun measures on Thursday. A separate group of senators, led by Sens. Charles Schumer, DN.Y., and Tom Coburn, ROkla., have been working on a bipartisan universal background check bill, but negotiations have stalled.