Chris Van Hollen: “this bill says that its purpose is to, and I quote, modernize and reform, unquote, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco…”

“this bill says that its purpose is to, and I quote, modernize and reform, unquote, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. But what it really does, under the guise of so-called modernization and reform, is to make it virtually impossible for Federal law enforcement officers in the ATF to revoke the licenses of those gun dealers who have violated the gun laws. It guts their power to go after the worst offenders. You don't have to take my word for it. Let me just read to you from the first paragraph of a letter that was sent to Members of Congress on June 30 of this year: As former officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, we write to urge you to oppose H.R. 5092, the so-called ATF Modernization and Reform Act. Far from modernizing ATF, this legislation would severely undermine the Bureau and protect corrupt gun dealers and gun traffickers. If passed, this bill would make it extremely difficult for ATF to successfully prosecute gun traffickers and dealers who break the law or to revoke dealers' licenses. They go on to specifically point out that the requirement that the ATF prove that a gun trafficker or corrupt gun dealer not only broke the law, only specifically intended to break the law, would make it virtually impossible for ATF to successfully enforce our Nation's gun laws.”