Joe Morelle: “Across our Nation, we face an epidemic. In schools, in churches, on our streets, Americans are dying from gun violence.…”

“Across our Nation, we face an epidemic. In schools, in churches, on our streets, Americans are dying from gun violence. We have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to prevent more people from suffering the loss of a loved one to the scourge of illegal guns. That is why I have introduced the Gun Theft Prevention Act. Last year, more than 500 gun shops were burglarized nationwide, releasing thousands of deadly weapons onto our streets and into the hands of criminals. In my district, a single gun shop was broken into twice in the same week, seven times in the span of a decade. Yet licensed gun dealers are not required to take even the most basic precautions, like locking their doors at night, to prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. My bill requires gun shops to meet minimum security requirements, like locked cabinets and video surveillance, creates strong enforcement mechanisms, requires reporting of stolen guns, and authorizes 650 new ATF inspectors. This is commonsense legislation that will save lives, and I will work tirelessly to ensure its passage. ____________________”