Political Quotes

“Mr. President, let me begin my remarks by thanking the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee for his very gracious comments and for his extraordinary leadership on a bill that I believe can bring all of us together. I also want to thank our other cosponsors of the bill, particularly Senator Gillibrand, who has had a great interest in cracking down on the practice of straw purchasing. The practice of straw purchasing is intended to achieve one result-- to put a gun in the hands of a criminal. These individuals are easily exploiting currently weak Federal laws to obtain guns. Peter Forcelli, ATF Supervisory Special Agent and Fast and Furious whistleblower, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in June of 2011 that: ``Some people view [the current penalties for straw purchasing] as no more consequential than doing 65 in a 55 zone.'' These guns are frequently sold, resold, and trafficked across State lines, resulting in the proliferation of illegal firearms in our communities. This has also fueled the violence across our southern border associated with Mexican drug cartels as well as gang violence in our cities. Straw purchasing and gun trafficking put guns in the hands of criminals. According to the ATF, of the nearly 94,000 firearms that have been recovered in Mexico in the last 5 years, more than 64,000 were sourced to the United States.…”