Political Quotes

“Mr. President, yesterday the Senate took an important step forward when it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. Senator Pat Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to finally crack down on the straw purchasing and illegal trafficking of firearms. I was happy to join in introducing this bill. It is a bipartisan group of Senators, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Susan Collins, and my colleague from Illinois, Senator Mark Kirk. Chairman Leahy's legislation combined a straw purchasing bill he and I introduced earlier this year together with a gun trafficking bill on which Senators Gillibrand and Kirk had been working. We sat down with Senator Collins and crafted a new bill, the Stop Illegal Trafficking of Firearms Act. It is important legislation, and the need for it is very clear. I have met a number of times in recent months with law enforcement leaders in Chicago and across my State. I asked them what Congress can do to help better protect our communities and our children, and one thing I kept hearing over and over again was that we needed to crack down on straw purchases. Time after time, law enforcement agencies say, criminals and gang members commit crimes with guns they purchased through others. A typical straw purchase happens when someone who legally can purchase a weapon and pass a background check buys a gun on behalf of someone who cannot pass that same background check.…”