Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement on the seizure of over 2,000 illegal guns by law enforcement under the anti-gun trafficking statute in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was shaped by years of advocacy by Gillibrand:
“I am proud that in less than two years, law enforcement has used the anti-gun trafficking provision that I included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to take over 2,000 illegal guns off our streets and charge hundreds of suspected traffickers. I originally wrote the anti-gun trafficking legislation to crack down on the kingpins bringing illegal guns into our state, and I’m grateful it is having such tremendous success. We’re making our country safer and I’m confident we will continue to curb the flow of illegal guns, keeping them out of our communities and saving countless lives.”
In December of 2023, Gillibrand unveiled her first-of-its-kind report analyzing the initial successes from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA)’s anti-gun trafficking section and mental health funding distribution. The original report highlighted the number of guns that have been seized by law enforcement and number of defendants that have been charged under BSCA’s gun trafficking provision, which was shaped by Gillibrand’s Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act.